The Mitchell Files 6
by Neuropsych
Summary: Melony's ready for the wraith - more or less - now she just needs to figure out how to defeat them, and to do that, she needs help.
1. 01

_Author's Note: This story (at the time of writing it) is going to be a mixture of a lot of things. It'll probably have it's humorous moments, because I write as much humor into my stories as I can, but it'll also be action, drama, romance and angst. Bear in mind that this is an AU of the Atlantis story line (or Melony wouldn't be there) so if you don't think that the plot of this story follows the TV show... well... there's only one season so far. What can I say? I want to move forward faster than that, so I have to make stuff up as I go along._

That said; enjoy! It's definitely rated for a reason, and there will probably be chapters that I give warnings on since some of the content will be of a more serious nature.

_Disclaimer: I don't own Atlantis or any of the characters I didn't make up. I do own the story line and the original characters – whoever may make an appearance. If you want to use them – or the idea – please ask me!_

_OOOOOOOOOOOOOO_

"What are we looking at?" Sheppard asked, looking from the gate over to Melony and then to McKay, who was looking smug.

"Nothing yet," Rodney told him. "Just wait until everyone else gets here."

Sheppard shrugged, looking over at Mitchell once more, but she wasn't paying much attention to him just then. She was fiddling with some kind of device that was strapped to her forearm – a long, glowing thing that he had absolutely no idea what it was. Nothing new there, though, right? McKay was wearing one, too, but those two were the only ones – although Peter Grodin was looking fairly smug, also. Whatever it was, it had to be pretty cool, Sheppard decided. And probably incredibly complicated, since Mitchell had been closeted with Grodin and McKay on this thing for almost a week.

Weir arrived just then, and Sheppard noticed that she didn't seem to know what she was here for, either. She walked down the steps that led from the command center to the gate area, looking at Mitchell.

"So? What is it?"

"Wait..."

McKay looked over at Mitchell, who shrugged then nodded, and the Astrophysicist started fiddling with the device on his forearm. Mitchell walked over to stand by Sheppard, and was joined only a moment later by Carson Beckett who came over and stood on the other side, watching her. Melony's eyes, however, were on the gate, and that's where Sheppard and Weir both looked as well.

The Gate started dialing, and Weir looked up at the command center, but there was no one standing by the dialing computer.

"What the-?"

Sheppard looked over at McKay, who was now watching the gate. It swooshed open, the watery substance held in place by the shield that protected Atlantis from unwelcome visitors.

"How did you do-?"

The smug look was enhanced by about a billion, and even Mitchell had to smile.

"It's a modification of the remote gate devices the Jumpers have," Melony told them. "If we all have one of these, then we'd make less of a target at the gate if we're in trouble, because we wouldn't have to rely on the dialing devices at the entrances – which are perfect places for ambushes."

"A remote control?" Weir asked, looking concerned.

"It's not going to control the _shield_," Melony said. "It only dials the gate. And it's not connected to the IDC devices, so they still come into play, but if we're being chased or something I thought it'd be nice to be able to have the gate open and ready by the time we get there."

"Good idea..." Sheppard said, approvingly. He looked down at Mitchell's forearm. "How many of those do you have so far?"

"Just the two," McKay said. "They're not that hard to make, though – especially since we have the advantage of having access to the Ancient's own technology – so it wouldn't take too long to make enough that even a few teams can each have one."

"Or have a couple people on each team have one," Melony said. "Whatever works until he gets more made."

"That's impressive," Weir said.

Mitchell shook her head.

"The Jumpers gave me the idea – although I never would have thought of it on my own."

"I'll bet you would have," Sheppard told her, causing Mitchell to smile.

"Well... I didn't have to," she said. "We're not sure what the range is, and there's still a few things to test, but it looks promising so far."

Of course it did, Weir thought to herself. McKay was an absolute genius, and add Grodin and Mitchell to the mix and there was probably nothing the three wouldn't be able to make. God only knew what they'd be able to do if they added Zalinka.

"How long until they're ready to go out in the field?" Sheppard asked. He liked the idea of not having to stop at the gate to dial home. Of course, he'd been chased back to the gate more than once and could appreciate the time saved if you could dial on the run.

McKay started to say something, but Melony interrupted him.

"I'm going to go off-world tomorrow, so I'll be able to field test the one I have then."

Weir perked up at that news – she hadn't scheduled any off-world activities for the next day.

"You're going off-world?" She asked.

Mitchell nodded.

"Where are we going?" Sheppard asked, curiously, looking at Weir.

"_We're_ not going anywhere," Melony told him. "I need to go talk to the Light Ones, though."

"Oh?"

She nodded.

"I'm ready to start figuring out how to defeat the Wraith, and I'm going to need a little help from Kale – if he's willing."


	2. 02

_Author's Note: Yeah, it's not the most original name, I know... but I'm terrible at coming up with good names._

OOOOOOOOO

"How is Kale going to help you?" Sheppard asked.

"If he's willing," Mitchell corrected. She shrugged. "I need to start looking for a planet that I can use for some private studying – I want to eventually capture one of those Wraith darts and study the technology, and –"

"Why not capture it and bring it back here?" Weir asked. She wasn't sure exactly how Colonel Mitchell planned on capturing a Wraith dart without capturing the Wraith that went along with it. "Then you could have help studying it..."

McKay nodded.

"Because it's entirely possible that the darts have homing beacons on them – or something like that – and the last thing we want is for the Wraith to find Atlantis."

Good point.

"Besides," Melony continued. "It's also possible that there's some kind of self-destruct mechanism on them – either activating once it's away from the pilot, or pilots, or when you start tinkering with the equipment – and it'd be better to have it away from Atlantis if it blew."

Another good point. It was obvious that Mitchell had thought it out.

"I still don't see what you need Kale for..." Sheppard said.

"If he's willing – or Aron, or one of the others – then I'm going to see if they'll help me by flying me around some of these planets that you guys have been to and have found to be deserted to see if I can find a place to turn into a lab."

"Like the secret lab you and Talon had on Melonyville?" McKay asked.

"_Melonyville_?" Sheppard asked.

She smiled, slightly.

"It's the informal name of a deserted planet that held a secret lab that Talon and I used to develop _Fugly_ – the ship we blew up when we finished the Goa'uld." She explained.

"Why not use a Jumper?" Weir asked. "You could probably get more area covered that way."

"I could," she agreed, "But if it's _not_ a deserted planet and there're Wraith there, then I don't want to risk them shooting me down because they have sensors that can track a Jumper. If there do happen to be Wraith on a planet I'm looking at, I'm hoping all they'd find on their sensors – or whatever – is a couple of life forms flying around, or maybe even just one, and won't bother to check it out."

She held up her hand before anyone could ask another question.

"It's all moot if I can't get the Light Ones to help me," she told them. "Which is why I need to go talk to them. I'd like to do it this way, but if they won't help – and they might not – then I'll be forced to use a Jumper."

Which was more dangerous, if she was right.

"Well, _I'm_ willing to come with you," McKay said, looking slightly hopeful.

Melony smiled; she knew exactly why he wanted to go, and there wasn't going to be time for anything like that. But she wouldn't use that reason. She had better ones.

"It's going to be dangerous," she said. "I don't know that there won't be any of those Dark Ones near the gate when I come through, and I don't have a way of contacting the Light Ones without drawing attention from anything else who might be in the area."

A pained look crossed McKay's face – it was obvious he hadn't thought about the Dark Ones.

"I'll go with you," Ford said. "You should have some backup and I'm-"

"You're needed _here_," she interrupted. "With Major Sheppard. I don't know how long I'm going to be gone, and I don't expect things here to come to a crashing halt while I'm gone. Missions still need to be done, and you guys still need to keep looking for one of those ZPMs."

She had other things to worry about at the moment – she'd leave the power source search up to them.

_Besides, we have a score to settle with the Wraith_

Yeah.

"How long will you be gone?" Weir asked. She'd obviously decided that if Mitchell wanted to go she wasn't going to stop her. Of course, she really _couldn't_ stop her if she wanted to – Mitchell wasn't under her command, although she usually listened to Weir's decisions and followed them when they made sense.

Mitchell shrugged.

"I'll check in with you guys in a week. By then I should know one way or the other if I'm going to be able to get help from them. If it's going to take longer, I'll let you know, then."

"When are you leaving?" Carson asked, speaking up for the first time. He didn't like the idea of her leaving, either. He certainly didn't like the idea of her putting herself in danger. Either with the Dark Ones – if they ended up making an appearance – or with the Wraith.

"I'll have to do a bit of figuring to make it so I arrive through the Stargate during the morning or early afternoon," she said, reminding them all that the days were a lot shorter there than they were here. She didn't like the idea of going through the woods that surrounded the Stargate without at least a little daylight to give her an idea of what was going on around her.

_Chicken_

You disagree?

_Not at all!_

She didn't smile, because what she was discussing with them was serious and she wanted them to know she understood that, but she knew that Talon would feel her amusement.

"We can figure that out in a matter of minutes," McKay said.

Melony nodded.

"You mind doing it for me?"

"Not at all."

McKay headed up the stairs towards the computers that were in the command center, and Melony turned to the others, silently asking if they had any more objections or questions. None of them did, though. They all looked slightly worried – Carson more than the others – but her reasoning was sound, and she clearly had it all thought out. What could they argue about?

"Five hours from now the sun should be rising on the Farmer's planet," McKay called down to Mitchell.

She nodded, looking up at him and then at the others.

"Then I'll go in 6 hours."


	3. 03

She went to her rooms to gather up what she thought she might need, although really there was very little she figured she'd have to take.

_The Farmers and the Light Ones will both be more than willing to feed you, I imagine_, Talon said.

Melony nodded her agreement.

"I won't take emergency rations, but nothing more..."

_And your weapons_

"Of course..."

Duh.

She picked up her empty pack, pulling a couple of uniforms out of her dresser and putting them into the bag. Then she grabbed up a couple of odds and ends she thought she might need – and some toiletries – and added them to the bag. The finishing touch was a few MREs – which held packets of instant coffee that would be welcomed since the Farmers usually only drank tea, and that wickedly strong brew that had knocked most of the team out on their last visit. She'd avoid both if she could – although tea wasn't so terrible.

It just wasn't _coffee_.

A knock sounded on her door as she was fastening the pack's buckles.

"Come in!"

She turned as the door swooshed open, and saw Carson coming through. Melony smiled, although he looked far too serious for her liking.

"Hey," she said, tossing the pack on the bed, and leaning against the dresser, watching him.

"Hi."

"Social visit?" She asked him, figuring otherwise when he didn't come stand closer. Usually he was more than willing to be close to her – and she was definitely willing to be close to him, but at the moment he was still closer to the door than he was to her.

He shrugged.

"Why didn't you tell me you were still thinking about going after the Wraith?"

"Why did I have to?" She asked, surprised. "I assumed you knew. They're _still_ a threat, after all."

"They're still dangerous," Beckett said, walking closer to her, now. "Last time that Wraith nearly killed-"

"Carson, stop." She wasn't going to argue with him. Not this time. Not the next time, and not the time after that. Better to nip this now, before he made it into a routine – because she knew she was going to be coming and going a lot in the next however long it took, and she didn't want to go through the same argument again and again. "The Wraith need to be dealt with – and I'm going to see if I can find a way to do it – or at least a way to slow them down. I'm not going to do anything that's too crazy, but I'm not going to allow you or anyone else to keep me from doing it. It _needs_ doing."

"But it's dange-"

"Dangerous, yes." She nodded her head. "So is staying here and doing nothing. So is going through the Stargate every time we go to another planet to look for a ZPM. You haven't said anything to me about going on missions – and you haven't had this argument with Major Sheppard or Teyla or any of the others, I'll bet."

"But that's because I..." he trailed off, not just ready to say _those_ words, and knowing if he _did_ say them, she wouldn't be able to reciprocate with the words of her own. "Because I... care about you..."

"So you think you have to worry more about me than about the others?"

"I don't _have_ to... I just... do..."

Melony stepped forward, close enough that she could put her arms around him, and she did. It was still something she wasn't entirely good at – sometimes it felt like holding him was the most natural thing in the world, and other times it felt like she was tramping all over Brad's memory by seeking comfort in another's embrace – but when he put his arms around her immediately, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of being held for a moment.

"It's fine to worry," she told him, softly. "It's normal... but you can't let your concern stop you from seeing the big picture."

"Which is?"

"The Wraith have to be stopped. Methods have to be found, and since the Ancients didn't find any here in Atlantis, I have to assume there's no way here to do it. Which means we need to go looking elsewhere. Only in this case 'we' is me."

_And me_

"And Talon," she added.

"I don't like it..." he said, his arms holding her even closer.

"I know."

"Why don't you take someone else with you? Major Sheppard wouldn't mind going. I'd feel better if you had some help."

Melony turned her head and pressed a gentle kiss against his cheek – just above the trimmed line of his beard.

"Because Major Sheppard is going to be busy _here_ – working on the other big picture, and that's figuring out a way to get back home, or at least contacting them. We can't have him and the others abandon that job to go do something I can probably accomplish with just the help of the Light Ones."

"You're not going to go looking for the Wraith, are you?"

The last time had been so awful, and she'd been hurt so badly – terrifying him.

She shook her head.

"Not without careful planning. This isn't like the last time, Carson," she assured him. "Then we needed to see what they were capable of doing to me, personally. Now I need to see what I can find to stop them. All at once, if we can."

"You'll come back soon?"

"As soon as I can."

He kiss her softly, knowing that there wasn't anything he could do to stop her from going – and knowing that if he told her he wanted to go she'd tell him he couldn't.

"Don't get hurt..."

"I'll try not to."

"Watch out for those Dark Ones..."

"I will..."

He sighed, and hugged her tightly once more.

_You two are going to have to have a long talk,_ Talon told Melony as she held Carson just as tightly, knowing he needed to be reassured.

He's not Military, Talon, she said. He's not used to this. He'll get better.

Talon grumbled, but he didn't say anything, pulling his awareness back a bit so Melony could have as much privacy as he could give her, but she felt the thread of his final pondering as he did so... _How much worse would the good doctor be once he and Melony actually moved into a more physical relationship_? And she couldn't help but wonder that herself.


	4. 04

"I'll _probably_ only be a few days," Mitchell said to the others that had gathered to see her off. She was wearing a Kevlar vest and a single pack, carrying a P-90 and had her zat and both Berettas in holsters in various positions on her belt, but she wasn't worried about having too many problems – at least once she managed to find the Light Ones and avoid the Dark Ones. Strapped to her forearm was the Remote Dialing Device and tucked into her pack was an IDC device.

"Their time, or ours?" Sheppard asked.

"_Theirs_," she told him, smiling. "It shouldn't take too long to find them and tell them what I want – and I doubt it'll take them very long to say yes, or tell me to go to hell."

Ford snorted in amusement as the Stargate started dialing.

"Tell everyone hi for us," Sheppard said, stepping back slightly, although he didn't really have to. She nodded, gave Carson Beckett a quick smile, and disappeared through the gate.

McKay sighed, and watched the inactive gate for a long moment as everyone else started leaving.

"What are _you_ looking so down for?" Carson asked him, slightly annoyed. It wasn't like _he_ had had to say goodbye to someone he... liked... as she started off on God only knew what kind of crazy plan.

McKay looked around to make sure no one was close enough to hear him.

"Are you _kidding_? A planet _filled_ with beautiful naked people? Didn't you hear what happened last time we were there?"

Of _course_ he had – it had been a joke among most of the crew for a couple of weeks – although there were a lot of them who had also been jealous that they hadn't been in on the mission to the planet that the Light Ones lived on.

"Just because it happened once, doesn't mean it was going to happen again," Beckett told him.

"Oh, it _would_ have..."

Now McKay's look was pained, and Beckett scowled.

"There are _other_ things to think of, you know..."

McKay turned a scornful look on him, shaking his head.

"_You_ try going there some time. You walk into a room filled with naked – _naked_ – people, and see what else you think of."

Carson frowned at that, wondering for the first time what Melony thought when she walked into a room filled with naked, beautiful people. She'd not done anything with the Light Ones the last time she'd been there – of course, the last time she'd been injured, too, part of him said. She was more than healthy, now, and _had_ been pretty eager to go. Maybe there was more than one reason she'd wanted to go – and only one reason she'd wanted to go alone?

He felt a stab of what could only be jealousy, and quelled it, feeling stupid and immature for even thinking such a thing. She wasn't interested in the Light Ones like that. He'd know. She was interested in _him_. Although that tiny part of him reminded him that the two of them had never done anything more than cuddled and kissed. She wasn't ready for more than that – at least, not with him. Maybe she was going to see how ready she was with – no. He was being dumb. She wasn't a sneaky person, and her reasons for going were sound.

Carson knew she burned with a desire to make the Wraith pay for killing her friend. It seemed crazy that she'd take on such a formidable foe just so she could get revenge, but he knew it was the reason. Of course, she had Talon inside her, and he was probably just as eager to take them on. They'd finished the Goa'uld, after all, and both of them probably figured it was just a matter of time before they made the Wraith pay for their transgressions as well.

He shook off the jealousy and headed for his infirmary. He could probably find something to do to keep his mind off how worried he was going to be.

OOOOOOOO

The first thing Melony noticed when she came out the other side of the gate was that McKay had timed things very well. She looked up at the sun and found that it was just coming up over the horizon – the Southern horizon.

_He's a genius, after all_

Yeah, I know. And doesn't he like to remind everyone?

Talon shared her amusement for the briefest of moments, and then reminded her that they should probably be watching for any Dark Ones that might be sneaking up on them. Of course, as silently as they moved, the chances were they wouldn't hear one until it was right up on them. Which was why Mitchell pulled her zat and held it in one hand while holding her machine gun in the other. She could fire a P-90 off the hip because Talon gave her the extra strength needed to control her fire, which definitely was an advantage when you were alone on a planet.

We'll head for the Farmer's steadings, Melony told Talon silently – no sense announcing her presence if she didn't have to, after all. Hopefully we'll get there with no hassle and then they can run up the flag to signal the Light Ones.

_If they set one up_

They were going to. They probably did.

She'd figure out something else if they hadn't.

Still watching her surroundings carefully, Melony left the clearing around the Stargate and headed down the very faded trail that she and Sheppard and the others had taken the first time they'd come to the planet.


	5. 05

_Author's Note: Okay, this one is going to probably be a little short – and not all that exciting. It's a transition chapter, I suppose. Boring but necessary!_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Colonel Mitchell!"

She'd made it through the forests without anything attacking her – or finding her – although she'd thought she'd heard the brush rustling a few times and had frozen, waiting for something to come at her, but whatever it had been hadn't done anything and she'd broken through the foliage that surrounded the top of the small hill that overlooked the small community of the Farmer's.

She saw a young man coming towards her, and recognized him as one of Cay's sons – although she couldn't recall his name.

_Tye_

Thanks.

She raised her hand in greeting.

"Tye, it's good to see you again."

"Where's the others?" the young man asked, looking around.

"They didn't come," she said, smiling. She was pretty sure that he'd been hoping to see Teyla, again, since she'd been popular with the young men of the Farmer community.

_Not as popular as she was with the_ Light Ones

You don't know what happened, Melony chided Talon. She might have just been off sleeping somewhere else.

Talon's amusement was positively naughty, but he didn't say anything else.

"Did you come to see dad and ma?"

"Actually, I need to talk with the Light Ones and was hoping you and your folks had set up that-"

"The flag? We sure enough did," Tye said, grinning, and pointing over his shoulder at a tall pole that Melony hadn't noticed. It was about 50 feet high, and made of a single tall tree trunk from the looks of it. "You want me to run up the pennant?"

"Yes, please?"

"I'll do that, you go ahead and head into the house."

She did as she was told, heading for the house and was met immediately on the porch by Rella, who had been alerted by her son's call.

"Colonel Mitchell! What a pleasant surprise!"

Melony smiled, pleased by the reception – although not really surprised. The Farmers were open and friendly people, and now that she was included as one of their friends, she was treated as if she were one of the family.

"It's good to see you, Rella," Mitchell told her, sincerely. "You're looking well."

She smiled, and ushered the Colonel into the house.

"Would you like some tea?"

Bah. _Tea_.

"Sure. Thanks."

Rella put her at the table and bustled around, pouring a cup of the tea that was apparently the favorite drink of the Farmer's and placing it in front of her.

"Are you here to trade?"

Mitchell shook her head.

"Actually, I've come to talk to Kale and the other Light Ones."

"Ah." She was far too polite to ask what Mitchell wanted with them – which was just as well, since Melony didn't feel like getting into it just then. "Tye running the pennant up for you?"

She nodded.

"He said he was going to."

"Well, the bird people are usually pretty good about appearing quickly, but you might end up spending the night. Are there others?"

"Just me."

"Then you're welcome to stay in the house with us if you need to – and certainly welcomed to have supper with us."

"I appreciate that," Melony told her. She was more than willing to have lunch – since her last meal had been more than ten hours earlier. She wasn't starving, but now that she was done walking for a while, she was ready to eat.

The door opened, and Tye walked in.

"The pennant's up." He reported.

"Thank you, Tye."

The young man left the house – probably had to get back to his chores – and Rella handed Melony a saucer with a couple slices of thickly sliced bread and butter to tide her over until supper, then sat and chatted with her while she ate, asking her how the others were doing, and how she, herself was. Mitchell sat back and enjoyed the conversation, finding it to be a pleasure to have a chat with someone who was as down to earth (so to speak) as one of the Farmers.

OOOOOOOOO

It was a pleasant way to pass the rest of the afternoon, and Melony was in a good mood – despite the lack of coffee – by the time Cay walked into the house with the older children, who had been out in the fields helping him with the last of the harvest. He greeted her warmly – as did the children – but they all went to clean up before they clamored around the table to listen to her conversation with their mother.

"You're waiting on the bird folks?" Cay asked, politely.

She nodded.

"I'm hoping one of them shows up."

"They're good about coming when we flag them," Cay said, nodding. "As long as they notice it."

"They usually notice it, though," Rella said. "We see them flying around every now and then, and they've come the few times we've signaled them."

"They're-"

He was interrupted by a call from the outside of the house, and Tye and the children all rushed to the door, excitedly, followed at a more sedate pace by Rella and Cay and Mitchell. Standing in the clearing by the front porch was a very tall, lanky... mostly human looking man with pale hair and pale eyes, dressed in a simply pair of trousers and a tunic. Here was one of the Light Ones.


	6. 06

_Shad_

Talon had a gift that Melony would never possess – and never would need to thanks to him. He could remember names. She'd always been terrible at it.

She stepped off the porch and up to the male that was standing in the clearing, and when the Light One saw who was approaching he smiled.

"Colonel Mitchell! Where is Teyla?"

Melony smiled, ignoring Talon's snicker of humor.

"Shad, it's good to see you. Teyla's at home. I'm the only one who came."

"Are you here for a visit?"

She nodded.

"More or less. I was hoping that I could talk to Kale and maybe the others – if they're not busy?"

The Light One nodded, smiling brightly.

"If you would permit me, _I_ can carry you to the settlement..."

She'd pretty much expected to have to be carried, which was why she'd made sure that her vest was in good condition before she'd left Atlantis.

"I'd appreciate that."

"I shall pick you up in the clearing." He'd have to go to a larger clearing to transform, and then would need to get into the air before he made the grab for her – and Melony understood this.

"I'll be right there."

As Shad left the clearing, she turned to Cay and Rella, who'd been listening in, and offered them her hand, which they both took.

"Thank you for the tea, and the conversation," she told them.

"You'll stop by before going back to your world?" Cay asked.

"Of course!" Like she'd leave without saying goodbye? "But no drinking."

The Farmers smiled, well remembering what had happened to the Atlanteans the last time they'd shared their special drink with them.

"We'll eagerly await your return."

Melony walked over to the middle of the clearing, looking up and wondering which direction the giant bird that was Shad would be coming from. She really didn't like being carried around by the birds, but since that was the whole point of her coming to talk to the Light Ones, it was something she was going to have to get used to.

_At least you're not hurt this time_

Yeah. And hopefully we'll keep it that way.

He gave a mental chuckle and there was a shriek from above – a warning from Shad to let her know he was coming. A shadow came over the clearing as an impossibly large bird swooped in, his deadly sharp talons extended as he flew straight at Mitchell.

_Brace yourself_

Oh, I _am_...

With a jerk that shook her very bones, Mitchell was grabbed by the bird, his talons catching her by the Kevlar vest and was in only moments carried high above the trees – and only going higher.

Hopefully they still have that haystack.

_Shad has probably already let the others know we're coming_, Talon said, reminding her that the Light Ones had a telepathic ability to converse with each other. _They can get one ready by the time we get there_

It was going to be a long flight, after all.

She sighed, and looked down, watching the trees speed by under them.

OOOOOOOOO

There wasn't much to do while being carried – although she wasn't having the trouble with all the blood going to her extremities since Talon was able to keep that from happening. Her legs never fell asleep, and her muscles never grew stiff and sore from being in the same position for too long. By the time the bird carrying her gave a warning shriek and they started losing altitude, however, she was more than ready to be done with this flight.

She looked below her and saw they were already coming close to the side of the mountain that housed the majority of the Light Ones. Little dots that were soon becoming actual forms of several Light Ones started gathering near a large pile of what looked to be soft hay – hopefully.

She braced herself again, waiting.

A moment later, Shad dropped her, and she went flying tail over teakettle into the hay, landing in an undignified heap – but uninjured.

Several of the Light Ones – males and females – came forward to help her out of the haystack, and she rolled out and found herself being helped to her feet by the one she'd hoped to talk to the most.

"Colonel Mitchell," Kale said, smiling as she regained her feet. "It is a true pleasure to see you again."

Melony smiled as well, because for once she didn't have to lean on him and she could actually stand up straight when talking to him and the others – unlike the last time she'd been there.

"Kale, I'm glad to see you."

"Are you well?" The Light One asked. "How is your leg?"

"I'm fine," she assured him. "_It's_ fine. All healed."

He looked down at her leg, as if to assure himself that she was right, but there was no doubting that she was standing there without any sign of pain – which was a first for him, as well. And it was definitely an improvement. He looked from her leg back to her face.

"Are you here to take me up on my invitation of a tryst?"

She blushed furiously, instantly. She'd forgotten all about the invitation he'd made to come back when she was healed so the two of them could enjoy each other's company in the same manner that most of the team had enjoyed the last time they'd been there. Talon's amusement didn't help – and neither did his suggestion that she just say yes, and make sure everything was still working.

"Ah... actually... no." She tried to ignore Talon, who was making it difficult. "I actually came to talk to you and the others – if they're interested – about the Wraith."

"What about them?"

"Kale, why not allow her a chance to rest and have some refreshments before we get her tale from her? It's late enough that she'll have to spend the night, anyways."

Melony looked over at the one who'd spoken, and smiled.

"Thank you, Aron. I have plenty of time," she agreed. "My people aren't expecting me back through the gate for a few days at least – since I didn't know how long it would take to get a hold of you and talk to you."

"Then come inside and have dinner with us..." Aron said, gesturing for Mitchell to follow. "We can talk once you've eaten."


	7. 07

_Author's Note: Talon likes to keep Melony on her toes, that's for sure._

OOOOOOO

"So, you want help finding a good planet for a secret facility?" Aron asked about an hour later.

Mitchell was sitting in one of the hay-filled bags that the Light Ones used for chair, a plate on her lap that had held a fine meal, and a cup sitting beside her that was constantly being refilled by one of her hosts. As she'd eaten, she'd told the Light Ones who were sitting with her – Kale, Aron and the Council mainly – about what she had in mind, and her reasons for looking for an appropriate planet for her and Talon's base.

She nodded.

"I _would_ use one of our Jumpers – they're small ships that can go through the Stargate – but I don't want to risk being seen, and even though the Jumpers can be cloaked, there's no guarantee that the Wraith can't find them with sensors."

"But you think they would not be able to discover you and one of us?" Kale asked. "They will sense you, Colonel, because of your augmented life force."

"If I'm _close enough_, they will," Melony agreed, chagrined. "Which is why I can't go on foot – or would _prefer_ not to go on foot. If I get close to a Wraith, they're going to know I'm there."

"And from above you would have the advantage..." Lora said.

Melony nodded again.

"If things got hairy, whoever was carrying me could drop me and get the hell out of there – and I'd understand completely. Kale told me the last time I was here that the Wraith can't catch your people – which is why they don't bother coming here."

"That is true," Kale said. "But I wouldn't abandon you to the Wraith, either..."

Melony shrugged.

"I have certain advantages against the Wraith – as long as there's not a lot of them. They can't feed on me, for one thing, and I can keep a few of them from getting close to me."

"How?" Lora asked, interested.

"Certain technologies," Mitchell answered. "I didn't bring any of it – aside from my zat – which Kale had a taste of last time I was here..."

The Light Ones smiled, remembering Kale's yelp when Melony had zapped him to get him to drop her.

"You can hit them with this weapon?" Aron asked.

Melony nodded, explaining to them how a zat worked and telling them about her Wraith hunt when she'd first heard of them, and about how she'd tested the zat against them – and found it worked to drop them momentarily and would disintegrate them like it did anyone else.

There were interested murmurings, and Mitchell handed the zat over to Lora, cautioning her not to shoot it at anyone. She looked at it and passed it on, and Melony turned back to Kale.

"Our people – Major Sheppard's team and a few others – have been to many planets through the Stargate since they've arrived here in this area, and each time they go someplace they make recordings of these places. Some of these places are candidates for the secret facility, because they didn't _seem_ to have any intelligent life on them."

"But you'd like to return to them and take another look – with help?" Kale asked.

"Yes. And maybe find a few others – although I'll have to find more gate addresses to other planets so I have the most options I can get. Of course, that means sending through our probes from Atlantis –"

"What is a probe for?" Aron asked.

"It makes sure that the planet will support life – so we can go there safely," Melony explained. "And it makes sure that there's nothing next to the gate that might eat the team that goes through."

"Ah."

The Light Ones all exchanged a look – and Melony wondered if they were discussing something among themselves in their heads.

_We do it_

Yeah, I know.

Kale turned his attention to Mitchell.

"We will have to discuss your request, Colonel."

"I understand, Kale," Melony told him, nodding. "I wouldn't want you or your people to do anything without talking it through." This was expected, and part of the reason she'd given herself so much time before the people at Atlantis would be expecting her.

The Light One smiled, "Until we decide, you are more than welcome to stay with us and be our guest. It will be pleasant for us to have company – the Farmers have yet to take any of us up on the offer to carry them here."

Big shock there.

"They probably aren't ready for the idea of flight," she said. "It can be intimidating for some."

"But not for you?"

Melony smiled.

"I love to fly – although it's a bit nerve-wracking to be toted around by something big enough to eat you, you know?"

"Besides," Aron said with a mischievous smile. "You are a _goddess_, and no god should show fear..."

Mitchell snorted – knowing that the Light Ones had all heard the story (thanks to Rodney McKay's big mouth) about her being called a goddess by the Jaffa. She'd told Kale the story – more or less – the last time she'd been there, and since she hadn't asked him to keep it to himself, it was obvious he'd shared it with the others.

"Well... there is that, I suppose." What could she say? It wasn't like she wallowed in her godliness, after all.

_Godliness_? Talon's amusement was enjoyable, and Melony smiled.

"It's late, Colonel," Kale said, standing up. "Allow me to show you to the room that will be yours for as long as you are with us. We will be eating our formal meal in a few hours, and someone – probably me – will come and get you."

It was a dismissal, and Melony knew it. Probably they wanted to talk about her request. She stood as well – mainly because sitting while Kale was standing close by just wasn't... comfortable – and she nodded, ignoring Talon's amusement this time. The symbiote was far more smut-minded than Melony – who wasn't a prude by any means.

"I could use a chance to clean up," she told him. Being flown around was dusty business, after all.

Kale offered her his arm and she took it, resting her hand lightly on his forearm. Probably, he was used to holding her up – since that was all that he did the last time she was there. Of course, she'd been injured, then, and was healthy now, so-

_Maybe he just wants to be close?_ Talon suggested, slyly. _Hoping you might change you mind about-_

I get it... She flipped him a mental birdie, and ignored his snickering.

Annoying snake.


	8. 08

Mitchell spent most of the next few hours just relaxing. The bed the Light Ones used were just larger versions of the bean bag chair like hay filled canvas bags, and they were comfortable as hell, so once she got herself cleaned of all the accumulated dust from her flight she flopped down on one of them and watched as the sky outside her little room – which was actually a cave, more or less – darkened as night fell.

As the temperature dropped, she started thinking that she should have brought a blanket, or that she'd eventually have to go find one of the Light Ones and mooch one off of them. Before she'd actually decided to go do that, though, Kale came through the entrance, knocking lightly to inform her of his arrival, and smiling when he saw she wasn't sleeping.

"Dinner's soon, are you hungry?"

She wasn't really; she'd had a snack only a few hours before, after all, but she never passed up a good meal when she had one offered to her, so she nodded.

"I could eat."

"Good. The council would like to speak with you while you're eating – if you don't mind?"

"Not at all." Hopefully that meant that they'd come to a decision one way or the other. The sooner she knew if she was going to have help, the sooner she could make plans accordingly, after all.

She fell into step next to him, taking two steps for every one of his, and wishing she had longer legs.

As they walked towards the main cavern that was glowing cheerfully in the darkness of the rest of the mountain, Melony smiled greetings to the others who walked past, either headed in the same direction to eat, or going out on patrols – which they did both day and night.

"How is the trade with the Farmers going, Kale?" She asked him, curiously.

"Very well, Colonel. They are honest folk who give a good value for the things we bring them – as we do the items they gather for us. It's nice to have warm cloth for blankets and clothing – even though we only wear them on special occasions."

"I'm glad to hear it's working for your people."

"It is," he agreed. "Thanks to you and yours."

She shrugged. All they'd really done is get the two species to start talking to each other – that wasn't really all that much. Trading honestly would keep the relationships going strong, and it sounded like they had a good start to that.

"We're just glad to help."

"It was a fortunate day for us when we met."

Jeeze, she was going to start blushing any minute now, if he kept that up.

"Which is what I told the council during their deliberations," he added.

"Oh?"

"Indeed."

"And what did they say?"

He smiled, and shrugged.

"That is for them to tell you, Colonel."

Bah. She'd hoped to get a little hint at least. Ah well.

She walked into the main dining room/meeting room and smiled a greeting to those who waved at her when she made her appearance. It was a little awkward being the only one there that wasn't naked.

_So take your clothes off_

It was a good thing she wasn't conversing with anyone just then, because she literally choked on her laughter at Talon's comment, and Kale looked at her with concern while her face turned red as she tried to catch her breath.

"Are you all right?"

She nodded, waving off his assistance, and coughing a few more times, wiping her watering eyes.

Smart ass.

She felt his wave of good humor, and was finally able to gather herself enough to join the line of Light Ones gathered to get their meal.

OOOOOOO

Dinner was composed of baked fish in a delicate sauce that was unfamiliar to Melony but tasted delicious. There were a few assorted choices for greenery – none of them familiar, although one looked a little like giant corn kernels – and boiled potatoes that had been traded for from the Farmers only the week before. Mitchell took her plate and went to sit with Kale and Aron, and was joined only moments later by the Council, who were also holding plates.

"Has Kale told you that the Council has made a decision?" Aron asked.

"He told me that you'd been deliberating," Melony said, taking a bite of her meal. "But he wouldn't say what had been decided."

"We've decided that your goal is definitely a worthy one – and definitely worth any risk that might be faced." Aron said, smiling. "Although the Wraith do not come here, we know of their atrocities, and we would be doing a disservice to not help defeat them where we can."

Melony smiled, relieved. While she could – and _would_ – have come up with another plan, having the Light Ones helping her would give her many more options. And she and Talon wanted as many options as they could get.

"I'm relieved to hear you say that," she admitted.

"So was I," Kale said, smiling. "I was planning on helping you whether the Council allowed it or not – and this way it will be much easier."

The rest of the Council threw him looks that varied from annoyed to tolerant, but Melony could see he wasn't too worried.

"The first thing we need to know is what you require from us," One of the Council members said. "We know you want to be flown around these other planets – and Kale has already said he is willing to do that – but what else can we do to help?"

She shook her head.

"Unless you know of other planets that might be worth having a look at, all I can really think of is the flying thing right now."

There were a number of looks exchanged between the Council members, and again Melony thought they must be talking mind to mind with each other. She didn't say anything, though. She just simply munched on her dinner as she waited for them to switch to a vocal conversation. Finally, Aron smiled.

"We might have a few planets for you to consider, Colonel. But you'd need to go into the city to get the Stargate addresses."

"The city?" She asked, confused. The only city she knew of was the one they'd lived in before the Dark Ones had been cursed – or whatever it was it'd been called.

"The city of our ancestors," Kale said, nodding. "None of us have been in it, but we are told that there are writings on the walls there that are the Stargate addresses to many of the worlds of our former allies. One of these worlds might have what you are looking for."

Oh, God, she thought. Some of them might have more than that. Who knew what technology she might find – or what kind of people she might meet?

"You're willing to take me there?" She asked. "Into your city, I mean..."

Kale nodded.

"We have offered our assistance, and if this is what we can do to help, then it is what we will do."


	9. 09

She didn't stay in their dining room long – mainly because the Light Ones tended to do other things besides eating once they were finished with dinner – and she didn't feel like watching. It was uncomfortable, and her cheeks were already starting to flush by the time she excused herself and headed back to her room with Aron and Kale.

"So you are interested in going to the sacred city?" Aron asked as they walked into the room. It was well-lit with glowing lantern type things that didn't smoke or smell like fire and didn't give off any heat – just light. Melony saw that someone had brought in a few blankets as well for her – and that was thoughtful, because it was pretty chilly.

"Definitely," she said, nodding. "I'm surprised your people are allowing it."

"Why is that?" Kale asked, confused.

Mitchell shrugged.

"The word _Sacred_ implies that your folk see it as Holy... I would have thought you'd want to keep simple people such as myself out of there."

Aron smiled.

"While it is true you will be the first human to be in the city in millennium, it's not a Holy city to us – it's sacred because of what it represents, the last time the Light Ones and the Dark Ones were a single race of people – but the gods don't dwell there, and it's not Holy."

"We can leave in the morning, if you wish," Kale said.

"You're going to take me?"

Kale nodded.

"Unless you have a different preference. The Dark Ones are unable to go into the city, so you will not need a large contingent of us to keep you safe as we look through the ruins. I volunteered to take you – and I have no other pressing matters to keep me from accompanying you."

"That's fine with me," Mitchell assured him. "I would like to come up with a harness of some sort, though – a better way to be carried than the vest that I'm wearing."

"A harness?"

"Like a parachute harness, most likely," Melony said.

_Like he knows what a parachute is_? Talon pointed out.

Good point.

"A parachute is a... thing... that you wear – like a back pack – that opens up if you're falling from a high distance and silk cloth comes out and catches the air, slowing your descent enough that you won't die."

"I would not drop you," Kale said. "You don't need a parachute."

Mitchell grinned.

"I'm not planning on making a parachute, Kale," she said. "I trust you not to drop me. But the parachutes have a harness that makes it comfortable to hang in the air – and I could definitely use that."

"Especially if Kale will be carrying you around on these other planets," Aron said.

"Exactly."

"What do you need to make one of these harness things?" Kale asked.

"Ropes and some metal fasteners... and a couple of buckles, most likely," Melony said.

"We have ropes," Aron told her, but I'm not sure of the metal you require."

"Don't worry about it," she said. "I'll wait until I get back to Atlantis to make the harness. There might even be some parachutes there already – who knows?"

"You are returning to Atlantis?" Aron asked.

"I'll need to check in so they know I'm okay," Melony told them. "And I'll need the gate addresses of those planets my people have explored so we can go check them out." She looked at Kale. "Want to come with me?"

"To your world?" The Light One asked, surprised.

"Why not? You're letting me into your sacred city, after all."

_Weir might not like that_

She'll get over it. He's an ally – no less so than Teyla is, and Sheppard didn't ask permission before bringing her and the Athosians to Atlantis.

Kale smiled, and nodded.

"I would like that, Colonel Mitchell."

"It'd be good for the others to meet you – and maybe see what you're capable of so they won't worry about me quite so much."

_He's going to worry about you, no matter_ who _you're with_

Talon knew who Mitchell was thinking of when she was trying to ease concerns – and it wasn't McKay or Sheppard.

"I will be happy to demonstrate my abilities to your people."

"He has been showing off to the Farmers anytime they show an interest," Aron said, shaking her head and looking at Kale fondly. "You're just giving him a new audience."

Melony smiled.

"My people will be fascinated," she assured them. "And if you're there, I can make the harness thing specifically to your talons."

"Clever." Aron said. She shrugged, and stood up. "We should leave you alone so you can get your rest, now. Someone will be by to wake you in the morning, and you and Kale can leave after breakfast, if that's agreeable to you?"

"Sounds perfect."

She walked with them to the entrance to the room, and they bid her goodnight. Then left her alone.

Melony sighed – she wasn't really all that tired, but she had absolutely no desire to join the Light Ones in what was apparently their favorite nighttime pastime. Well... not much of a desire, anyways...

_You might as well try to sleep_, Talon told her, chuckling into her mind. _It's not like there's a whole lot of other things to do around here when the sun goes down – I haven't seen a movie theater or a ballpark_

"We'll have to teach them a new sport..." Melony said, heading for the overly large cushion that was going to be her bed while she was with the Light Ones.

_They seem fairly pleased with the one they know_

True enough.


	10. 10

The ancient city of the Light Ones was far larger than Mitchell had expected it to be. As she was carried over it by Kale – presumably he was looking for a good place to drop her – she wondered how many of them lived there before their Sundering.

_Thousands, I'd bet_, Talon said. Melony could feel his own shock at the size and scope of the place.

From above they could see that very few of the ruined buildings still had roofs on them – although there were a few, and some were in the process of falling in. The city stretched out through a valley not far from the place that Melony and the others had first met the Light Ones on their last trip through the gate, and it stretched as far as she could see – which was at least ten or twenty miles, before the buildings were covered by foliage that she couldn't see through, so she couldn't see if they continued on into the forest or if they stopped.

Kale gave a piercing cry of warning, and they were suddenly going lower, making a descent. Apparently he must have found a spot to put her. She looked below her, and saw nothing but stone and dirt – no place soft enough to be a good landing site as far as she was concerned. The Light One/ bird gave another cry of warning, and Mitchell found her feet just brushing against one of the few solid looking roofs, and realized he intended to set her down on one of them. It was as good a place as any, and hopefully better than others.

She reached up, touching one of his talons to let him know she knew what he wanted, and a moment later the huge bird back-winged sharply, slowing his speed considerably. At the same moment, he released her, and she fell about two feet to the stone roof, landing in a tumble but coming up unscathed.

The bird landed on the grass next to the building she was on, and a moment later Kale himself was standing there, looking up at her.

"Are you uninjured?" He called.

She nodded, looking down.

"I'm fine, Kale. It was a perfect drop."

Now, how was she going to get off the building without falling on her head? It was probably only 20 feet up, but there wasn't anything to land on but him. Not even a tree close at hand to climb down.

"Jump and I will catch you."

She shook her head, and lowered herself to the ceiling, hooking her fingers along the edge of the roof and swinging her legs over. Hanging from her hands, she allowed herself to fall, figuring it was only going to be twelve feet or so to drop, and was immediately caught up in strong arms and held close against a bare chest for a moment before she was lowered to the ground.

"Thanks," she told him, smiling.

"I would not want a repeat of the injuries you received last time you were here," Kale said. "Your people might not appreciate that."

"Plus you'd have to worry about giving me the big wolf to lean on all the time, right?" She asked with a smile.

He grinned.

"I don't mind. You're hardly a burden, after all."

He looked around the area they were standing in, his expression just as curious as Melony's.

"You've never been here before, either, have you?" Mitchell asked, remembering that Lora had said they stayed away from the city.

"It is my first time," he confirmed. "The Sundering took place centuries before I was born, and I have not had a reason to come here – no more so than any of my people have."

"How old are you now?" She asked, curiously.

"Almost two hundred years."

"Really?"

He smiled at her shock.

"How old are you?"

"33."

"You're just an infant," Talon said, surprised.

Melony snorted, and grinned.

"I'm fully grown, Kale. My people just don't live as long as yours."

_Show him your-_

Hush.

Kale nodded, shaking his head.

"How old is Major Sheppard?"

"Somewhere around my age, I imagine..."

"He's fully mature, as well, then..."

"Oh yes."

"He _must_ be..." Kale said, looking around again. "Where shall we go first?"

Mitchell shrugged.

"I haven't been here, either, remember?" She told him. "Why don't we start at this end, and work our way down the valley, poking around, looking into buildings and see what we can find?"

"There should be a few central buildings," Kale told her as they started by walking towards the last buildings in the area – he'd set her down at almost the end of the city so that was a good plan. "Like our Council and eating room, and trysting rooms. There should be places where the ancient Light Ones used to gather. Those will be the places that hold the Stargate addresses we might use."

Melony nodded, and they poked their heads into the first of the buildings. This was obviously not one of the gathering places. It was too small to hold more than a few of the Light Ones at any given time. There were ruined wall hangings but nothing she could read or that Kale recognized as anything they could use. They left that building and headed for the next.

"What did you mean when you said Major Sheppard must be fully mature?" She asked him, walking through the doorway to the next building – which looked similar to the one they'd just left. Since there was no danger of any Dark Ones coming upon them here in the city, she felt it was safe enough to chat a little – and the way he'd phrased that particular statement had made her curious.

Kale turned to her.

"He fathered the offspring that Aron now carries," the Light One answered. "He must be a mature male in order for her to have used his seed to impregnate herself."

Melony stopped so quickly Kale actually walked into her.

"What?"


	11. 11

"I said, Major Sheppard fathered the offspring that-"

"I heard you, Kale," Mitchell said, holding up her hand. "Are you sure it's Major Sheppard who fathered the child? I mean, your people are fairly promiscuous aren't they?"

"_Children_," Kale corrected. "Aron carries two. Our females always produce two offspring when they conceive. And, yes, she's certain it was Major Sheppard. That was the whole point of trysting with him – aside from the pleasure of the action, I suppose – to introduce new blood into our community."

"Your kind can reproduce with humans?"

"We have human stock," Kale reminded her, pointing at the form he was in. "More human than anything else. It's an option – but one the females have not had an opportunity to take advantage of for further back than any of us can remember."

"Ah."

_Makes you wonder about Teyla_, Talon mused.

Oh, good point. If Teyla had enjoyed the company of one of the males on their last trip – and Melony hadn't asked, although she was pretty sure she _had_ – then what was to stop her from becoming impregnated? And wouldn't that be an interesting development? Of course, she could ask in such a way that Teyla wasn't even brought up – and she did.

"Um... Kale? What about if you and I had –"

He smiled, and shook his head.

"The females control conception, Colonel. Until then our seed – and that of any other males – is dormant. It's just pleasure for us unless the female is ready to conceive."

"Ah."

Well, that was good news, she supposed. At least Teyla didn't have anything to worry about.

"This building is as empty as the last," Kale said, looking around.

"Yeah. They must have been single dwellings, huh?"

Kale nodded, looking around.

"Single family units, perhaps, or a place for those not yet mated."

"Well, let's get to looking," she said, deciding that if she chatted with him while they were searching it'd take them years to make it through the city. They'd have all night to talk about who might have lived in each building – or what other purpose the building might have served, be it meeting hall or living area. There was no way they were going to be finished looking in only one day – but she had a few more before she needed to return to Atlantis, and he could keep in touch with his people mentally, so he didn't need to go there and check in with the Council.

OOOOOOOOO

They wandered through the city, looking through each building carefully, even though most of them didn't really require much more than a quick glance to show them that there was nothing inside. Apparently when the Light Ones who abandoned the city left it, they took most of their possessions with them – and whatever they didn't must have rotted away.

The first day they made it a few miles into the city, and although Melony told Kale they could split up to look even faster, he refused to leave her alone, saying that even though the Dark Ones couldn't return to the city there were other creatures that could – wild creatures that posed little or no danger to him, but could hurt her if she were caught off guard. He was responsible for her safety, and he took that responsibility seriously.

They made their camp in one of the abandoned buildings that had a full roof – in case it rained, and Kale and Mitchell had a meal of MREs from Melony's pack. Now that they weren't searching through buildings, Melony took the opportunity to ask him more about the society of his people, figuring that anyone who could control their own fertilization had to have a few more interesting traits.

"It's really not all that exciting," he told her as they sat in the light of the small fire she'd built. "We don't all choose fulltime mates – although it's an option, of course."

"Do you have a mate?" She asked.

He shook his head.

"I've considered it, but I have yet to find a female I would want to spend the rest of my life with."

Of course, when your life was centuries long, it made sense to choose carefully, she supposed.

"There are other groups of my people living around the planet," he told her. This wasn't news to her, since they'd mentioned others when they'd been there last. "But usually only the females go looking for them – and only when they're ready to mate. To keep the bloodlines from becoming stagnate. The young are raised by the female, but all the clan protects and provides for them as well."

Melony nodded.

"That makes sense. And before your people moved from this city? Were there other cities of Light Ones?"

He shook his head.

"This was the only place we lived. Our histories say that there were many millenniums of peace and prosperity here before the Sundering. It must have been amazing."

She smiled.

"It must have been. Did your people travel through the Stargate?"

He nodded.

"None have since the Sundering, but we know they did before. There are colonies of my people who traveled to other places – although we have lost track of them over the course of many lifetimes."

"Maybe if we find some gate addresses here, we'll get lucky and find some of them on the worlds we visit..."

He smiled, and shook his head.

"I admit that it came up when the Council discussed allowing you to come here, but we don't hold out a lot of hope for such a thing – my people need a large population in order to maintain our growth, because of how rarely we produce offspring."

"Well, you never know," Melony said, shrugging. "If your people here can reproduce using human males, then the ones who left here must be able to as well – and there are a lot of human males out there, you know."

"True enough," Kale said, smiling. She supposed they might not have considered that. The Light One shrugged as well.

"It's late, and we should rest so we can get an early start in the morning."

Since they hadn't brought much by way of supplies – and none of the straw-filled bags for Mitchell to sleep on, Kale transformed himself into his wolf shape and curled around her to keep her from getting chilled. It was also a good way for him to keep her safe while they slept, since the wolf-like creature would hear anything that tried to sneak up on them long before it could pose a danger.

Melony pulled her blanket over herself and rested her head on Kale's furry side, amused to find herself in such an odd sleeping arrangement, but already feeling the warmth of the wolf warming her up as well. Who needed a fire?

She was asleep in far less time than she thought it'd take.


	12. 12

The next day was spent exactly like the end of the last – looking through empty buildings. Some of them were larger than others, and while some looked as if they'd been empty through out the millenniums they'd stood there, others seemed to be filled with items that had long since turned to dust. All about the empty city there was a feeling of desolation and emptiness – as if the city itself mourned the loss of its people. It was rather depressing, and Mitchell wasn't the only one affected by it.

Kale grew silent as the day progressed. He would simply shake his head when she looked at him after exploring a building, telling her that there wasn't anything in there. He was moody, and almost irritable – although he never took it out on her – and by nightfall she'd decided that they'd better call it a day and try and get back a little of the equilibrium that they'd lost while searching through the deserted city.

"Why don't your people return here, Kale?" She asked as she handed him a heated MRE. "The Dark Ones can't come here, but your people can, still, can't they? Did your gods tell you to abandon the city forever?"

He was quiet for a while – so long that she thought maybe he wasn't going to answer – but then he spoke, his voice soft, and his pale eyes still showing an echo of that morose mind-set he'd suffered most of the day.

"They didn't forbid us from returning, Colonel," he said, shrugging. "As far as I know, we could return – although after being here, I can understand why none of them would want to, although perhaps they once tried. This place is haunted."

"Haunted?" She asked. "You mean by ghosts?"

"By the spirits of the people that were once happy here and are now running wild through the forests without their souls and separated from their true people."

"The Dark Ones."

Kale nodded.

"It was a happy place – as far as I have heard from the histories. It's depressing, now. Because what once was, will never be again." He took a deep breath, and then sighed. "My people could not be happy here. I couldn't be, anyways."

She nodded her understanding and the two of them fell silent, eating their dinner quickly and then going to bed without much more discussion. They were coming close to the center of the city, now, and Melony was getting worried that they'd either find absolutely nothing that would help, or what they did find would be completely worn away by the ravages of time, and would be useless. When Kale transformed into the wolf-like and curled himself around her once more, Mitchell rested her head on his side, running her hand gently along his furry flank. It was as much comfort as she could give him – and it was also comforting to her, in a way.

The wolf turned his large head and looked at her, then nuzzled her cheek as if he understood. Then the two of them went to sleep.

OOOOOOOO

The third building they looked into the next morning revealed something that neither of them had expected. It was the largest still standing, and of all the buildings they'd looked at, this one was in the best shape. There had been a couple of smaller areas they'd walked through – too big to really be called 'rooms' and too small to be called anything more grandiose.

The small areas were in fairly good shape – there was a lot of dust on the floor, and quite a few small critters living in the corners and running through cracks in the lower part of the wall, but the walls themselves were still standing, and there were even some pictures of some sort etched into the stone. Melony and Kale had stopped their searching to look at them. Some were of birds, soaring majestically through the sky – and Mitchell was certain these were Light Ones – and some were of wolves and an odd cat-looking creature – the same size as the wolves, so undoubtedly huge – running through the forests.

"Do your people turn into cats, too?" She asked him.

Kale shook his head.

"I have never heard of one with the ability."

"Huh... I wonder where the cats came from, then?"

"Perhaps they were living here and posed a danger?"

"Maybe..."

She wandered into the next room, still thinking about that, and stopped cold. So suddenly that this time Kale actually did run right into her, knocking her to the ground. Neither of them even noticed, because they'd both seen the same thing, and were stunned.

The room itself was fairly large. The walls were covered with inscriptions that were etched into the stone. Long inscriptions and short inscriptions, and more pictures like they'd seen in the other, smaller rooms. But that wasn't what drew their attention. Not even close.

Standing in the middle of the room was a Stargate.

"Oh, my God..."

"And mine as well," Kale agreed, breathlessly.

"That's a Stargate..." Melony said, stupidly.

The Light One nodded.

"Did you know it was here?" She asked.

"No. We knew there were addresses here, but we assumed that there was only one Stargate on the planet – the one you came through."

"How could your people forget something like this?" It wasn't an accusatory question, merely a sign of her shock.

"If it was dropped from our histories it could have been forgotten," Kale said, shrugging. "I don't know..." He walked over and touched it. "Perhaps it doesn't work? Maybe this is the first Stargate on the planet, and it broke, so they put up a new one?"

"Who?"

Kale shrugged.

"My ancestors... or perhaps the gods... I don't know, Colonel."

She looked around, walking the perimeter of the room.

"I don't see a dialing device..."

"Then perhaps it doesn't work."

"One way to find out..."

"We can not dial it if there is no device..."

Mitchell reached into her pack and pulled out the device she and Rodney McKay had made and strapped it to her wrist.

"This is a remote dialing device," she told Kale. "It can dial a Stargate."

"Will it work on this one?"

She shrugged. "It should work on all of them."

"I must inform the Council..."

"You can do that with your mind, though, right?" She asked. "We don't have to go back to your colony...?"

"Yes, I can do it mentally."

"You do that, then, and I'll try to figure out the point of origin symbol... tell them if it works, we're going to test it."

"Where will we go? We don't have an address, yet."

"We'll go back to Atlantis. It's the only address around here that I know doesn't go someplace dangerous – if you're willing, that is?"

Kale shrugged.

"I'll ask the Council..."


	13. 13

She had Talon's help with the language on the wall. Even though neither of them had ever seen it before, there were certain things that were similar in all languages – and in this case it was the Stargate addresses. All they needed were the addresses, not the name of the planet that the address went to. Once they established which direction the writing went – which turned out to be from the bottom up – it was a simple matter of finding the repeating symbol, and that would be their point of origin. Beyond that, all they needed was the address to Atlantis, and Melony knew that.

While she (and Talon) were checking out the walls, making absolute sure that they knew which symbol they needed, Kale sat off in a corner with his eyes closed. She pulled out a notebook to write down a few of the other addresses, knowing that she was going to want them later, and then walked over and sat close by Kale, waiting to hear what the Council was telling him.

When he opened his eyes a little less than an hour later, he smiled.

"They say we can go."

"Good."

"As long as your device works, that is."

She nodded.

"When do you need to be back?"

"When I return."

Meaning he had free rein to come and go as he pleased, apparently. That was good, because she didn't want to have to answer to anyone, and if she needed Kale and he needed to answer to the Council, then it was the same as her needing to answer to them. It'd be faster this way, once they actually got around to looking for the planet – and then the Wraith.

"Great. Are you ready, then?"

He nodded.

"I am interested in seeing you world, I admit."

"My people are going to be interested in seeing you, as well." She told him with a smile. "The ones we told of you were... a little skeptical when we told them what your people could do."

"You mean the transformations?"

She nodded.

_You do realize that he doesn't have any clothes with him?_

She hadn't. Not until that minute.

_It's amazing what you can get used to, no?_

Indeed. Apparently the axiom that says a person can get used to anything was true, because she'd been walking around the last two days with an eight foot tall naked alien, and hadn't even thought about it – except the few times Talon made a smart comment, or certain parts of Kale's anatomy came close to her in the course of the day's events.

"We'll have to get you clothes once we get to Atlantis," Melony told him, wondering what they'd say when she came through the gate with a naked alien. She debated having him change forms, but she wasn't positive his wings would make it through the gate in his bird form and there were several reasons she could think of to not have him go through in wolf form. Mainly she was pretty certain that he'd get shot before the few people that might know who he was recognized him. No, it was better that he went through naked, and stay safe. It wasn't like there were any kids in the city anymore now that the Athosians had moved to the mainland.

"We could return to my colony if you feel we should get me appropriate –"

She shook her head.

"They'll get over it, Kale."

_She_ did, after all.

"If you say so."

She grinned and rested her hand on his arm.

"Let's get the pack together, and get going. I want to see if this remote device works."

He nodded and helped her gather what little supplies they'd used from the pack since they'd discovered the Stargate – mainly the canteen and writing utensils – and Mitchell strapped both the remote Dialing device and the IDC code generator to her wrist.

"Ready?" She asked him.

He nodded.

She activated the device; dialing the address for Atlantis and a second later the gate swooshed open.

"Yes!"

It worked.

Kale started for the Stargate, but Mitchell took his arm and held him back.

"Not yet, Kale. We have to do one more thing."

She entered in her ID number – it was actually SG-2's code – which meant that there would be no doubt who was coming in, and the Atlantis base would lower the protective shield and allow her access to the city.

"We'll give them a few moments to give them a chance to realize who's coming, and then we'll head through – but let me go just a step ahead of you, okay?"

"To allow them to see you before they see me?"

She nodded.

"You're taller than anyone else and that might frighten them."

_Not to mention he's naked as a jaybird_

Yeah, that, too.

"I will do whatever you wish, Colonel."

She smiled, reassuringly, and rested her hand on his arm for just a moment.

"Let's go," she said, stepping through the gate.

OOOOOOOO

"Who is it?"

Grodin turned to Weir, who had entered the command center the moment she realized the sound she was hearing was the Stargate activating.

"We're receiving Colonel Mitchell's code."

"Lower the shield."

Weir wasn't the only one who'd been alerted to the activated gate, and Sheppard and Carson Beckett – who had been hovering close by the gateroom every time he had any free time – both entered the room as well, just in time to see the shield drop.

"Who is it?" John asked.

"It's Colonel Mitchell."

Sheppard looked at Carson and saw a relieved expression cross the doctor's features. Yeah, there wasn't any doubt there about how he felt about Mitchell, was there?

He turned back to the Stargate just in time to see Mitchell walk through, looking fit and fine. He started forward to welcome her back – with Beckett and Weir right beside him – when a moment later another form emerged from the gate. Sheppard realized it was Kale. All eight feet of him. And he wasn't wearing a stitch.

Sheppard looked over at Weir, to see her reaction, and grinned at the utter shock on her face. He wondered what she was most surprised about; the fact that Mitchell had brought company with her, or the fact that the company was butt naked, and completely unaware of just how... impressive... he was in a frontal view. Sheppard glanced at Beckett to see his reaction and the grin faded, slightly.

Carson looked shocked – so pale, in fact, that Sheppard wondered if he was going to pass out.

For her own part, Mitchell acted as if she were simply returning with a regular ole visitor. She smiled, her hand going to Kale's arm once more to show the guards who were training weapons on them that he was an ally, and spoke into the stunned silence.

"I'm back. And I brought company."

No shit...


	14. 14

"Colonel Mitchell?"

Weir stepped forward, looking up – way up – at Kale, who was looking around with interest.

"Doctor Weir. Might I introduce Kale? He's one of the Light Ones."

Like she hadn't been able to figure _that_ out on her own? How many other aliens fit the description? She just hadn't expected Mitchell to bring one back with her – and hadn't expected him to be so... human looking. He was fairly good looking, with pale hair and eyes, and a lively twinkle in those eyes when he looked down at her. And he was naked – which made her keep her eyes on his face as she tried to keep from blushing like a schoolgirl.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kale," she said.

"The pleasure is mine, Doctor Weir," Kale answered with a slight bow.

"Kale? This is Doctor Carson Beckett. He's our chief medical officer here – and has already saved my life more than once."

Melony gave Carson a smile that made him forget the little stab of jealousy he'd felt when he'd seen her put her hand so familiarly on the alien's arm – he'd heard about the Light Ones, too, of course, and during the last few days, McKay had been telling him even more in the course of pouting about not being allowed to go along with Mitchell.

"It is doubly a pleasure to meet you then, Doctor Carson Beckett," Kale said, nodding to Beckett, who wondered why he'd called him by his full name, and realized Kale probably didn't know it was more than was needed.

"Nice to meet you," he said, nodding as well.

"So how was the trip?" Sheppard asked Melony. "Obviously you didn't have any trouble finding the Light Ones again."

"Oh, we found a lot more than that," Melony said, grinning. "Plus, the Council has agreed to let Kale help me with my reconnoitering."

"Good. That should-"

"Um, Colonel Mitchell?"

"Yes, Doctor Weir?"

"Maybe we should find... Kale... some _clothing_?"

Mitchell grinned up at Kale, resting her hand on his arm again to reassure him. Of course, she'd told him that they'd be surprised at his lack of dress – but not dismayed – and she'd been right on the money. As usual.

"We definitely should."

"Major? Would you take Kale to the supply room and get him something to wear? I'd like a chance to talk to Colonel Mitchell for a moment."

Meaning she wanted to know exactly what Mitchell had been thinking to bring an alien to Atlantis without even asking permission. John nodded.

"Kale? Care to join me for a quick naked walk through the halls?"

Melony snickered, and even Weir had to smile at that. She wondered how many people they would encounter on the way to the room that was used as their supply room – and how many would walk away beet red when they realized what they were seeing.

Kale looked at Mitchell, who nodded.

"I'll be right behind you, Kale. I just need to talk to Doctor Weir first."

"Very well."

The Light One allowed Sheppard to lead him out of the command room, and Weir looked at Mitchell, who waited for the first question. It didn't take long.

"What is he _doing_ here?"

"He's going to fly me around and help me find a planet I can use to study the Wraith."

"Yes, I know that. But what's he doing _here_?"

"We need to look at the mission files from the places that have been explored here – well _I_ do, anyways," She amended. "So we can decide which planets not to bother with, and which ones look promising."

"You brought an alien to Atlantis without asking-"

"He's an _ally_."

"It doesn't matter."

"Of course it does. I brought him here because I need him _here_, for now. I need to rig up a harness to make it easier for him to carry me, and I need him here for that. I need him to be where I can easily find him, and since I don't have a Kale summoner button on my utility belt it's easier for me if he's here and not back on the planet with the other Light Ones. And besides, like I said; he's an _ally_, which means _you_ need to get to know him, so you can know what his people are like, and the only way you can do that is if I brought him here."

It was obvious that Mitchell had thought things out, but Weir didn't like not being asked, first. Of course, there were already precedents – like when Sheppard had brought back the Athosians – so she wondered why she was even surprised. Or annoyed.

"He's not going to cause any problems, is he?"

"He and his people are very kind, Doctor Weir," She assured her. "And _friendly_."

"Oh, yes. I've heard all about how friendly they are," Elizabeth said, rolling her eyes.

Melony laughed.

"It's true. But you'll find that Kale is really a nice guy once you get past the whole naked thing. He's intelligent – and his other forms are truly spectacular."

"I'd like to see them."

"I'll have him give you a demonstration – although that brings up the whole naked thing again, since their clothes don't transform."

"We can get around that."

It'd be worth it to see something so amazing.

"I figured we could."

"Let's go see about getting him dressed, and then we'll get him a room somewhere..."

Weir headed for the door, presumably heading for the supply room as well.

She was glad that Weir was apparently agreed to the idea of Kale being at Atlantis, now, because Melony didn't want to have to go somewhere else – although she would have if Weir had insisted. She had all the equipment she needed here, and all the files and disks – and something else that wasn't found anywhere else.

She looked over at Carson, who had been standing off to the side, listening to the conversation and waiting. He had an odd look in his eyes, but it faded when she walked over to him instead of following Weir.

"Are you okay?" She asked him, curious.

"I'm fine." He looked like he wanted to say something else, but Melony reached out and took his hand.

"I missed you, Carson."

Oh, God... he was in love with her. Had there been any doubt before – and he hadn't been sure if it was love or lust – there wasn't any, now. Not from the way he turned to goo at those simple words.

It took him a moment to be able to speak.

"I missed you, too, Melony."

She smiled, and let his hand go.

"Come on, you've _got_ to see Kale transform. It's amazing."


	15. 15

_Author's Note: Yay! Someone caught the Batman reference!_

OOOOOOO

Carson and Melony caught up to Weir easily enough, and a few minutes later they walked into the supply room, which was filled with all the extra things the Atlanteans had brought with them – and things that Mitchell had brought when she'd come to Atlantis to check on them. Everything but foodstuff and weapons were kept in this room. The foodstuff was kept in a couple of rooms off the kitchen area and the weapons were in the makeshift armory – one of the few rooms that were kept locked in Atlantis.

Sheppard was in the process of handing a pair of pants to Kale, who was looking at them dubiously.

"I don't think they're going to fit."

"They might be a little short on you," John agreed. "But the waist and butt should be okay."

"You can always wear them a little low on your hips," Melony suggested, walking into the room with Weir and Carson. "If we get you a really long shirt you, it'll hide that your pants are low."

John nodded, reaching for the biggest sized shirt they had.

"And we'll roll your sleeves up, so no one realizes that the sleeves are probably only going to come to mid forearm."

Kale smiled; amused at how much trouble they were going to just to hide his nakedness.

"Yeah, but don't bother putting them on yet, Kale," Mitchell said. "I was hoping you wouldn't mind giving Doctor Weir and some of the others a demonstration of your ability to transform?"

"Of course not." The Light One looked around the crowded room. "This might not be the best place to do it, however."

"No, we'll want to do it out on one of the balconies – that way you can fly."

The four of them headed through the halls, with Melony carrying Kale's clothing for him. The Light One was looking around himself with interest – but nowhere near as much interest as he was generating from those crew that were out in the corridors as well. Especially the female members. Melony couldn't hide her amusement, and didn't bother trying to.

They walked through one of the balcony doors and out onto one of the balconies that overlooked both the city and the water that surrounded it.

"This is beautiful," Kale said, walking to the edge and looking down.

Weir smiled possessively, even though she didn't have anything to do with the city or the view he was appreciating.

"Thank you."

"The Ancients really built this city?"

Weir nodded. If he was going to help them, he might as well get answers to whatever questions he asked – although she wasn't going to give him his own IDC code or anything like that – and of course, Mitchell hadn't suggested any such thing. While the Colonel was obsessed with defeating the Wraith, Weir knew she was more obsessed with protecting Earth – and that meant not sharing certain things with anyone who wasn't _from_ Earth.

"They appeared to have, yes. As near as we can tell."

"Amazing view..."

They all had to agree with that. Carson moved over to stand next to Melony, but just as he did so, she moved and went over to Kale.

"Show them your other forms, Kale..." she requested, smiling at Weir and Beckett – and unaware that she'd just hurt Carson's feelings by walking away from him. She hadn't even realized he'd moved to stand near her; she'd thought he was shifting for a better view.

A moment later Kale was gone and in his place was a large wolf. Carson gasped and took a step back, and he wasn't the only one. Weir had done the exact same thing.

"Oh my God..."

Sheppard grinned. He'd forgotten just how large the wolf could be, but he knew it wasn't anything to be afraid of and Mitchell proved that by stepping up to the side of the wolf and running her hand along his furry side. Kale turned his head and licked her hand, and Mitchell grinned.

"That's _incredible_," Carson said, eyes wide.

"There's more."

Melony stepped back, giving Kale plenty of room and pulling Sheppard back with her, just to make sure there was room for the large bird that was going to show up.

Sure enough, a moment later the bird was there – large and majestic and looking like nothing more than an exceptionally huge golden eagle. The bird's head turned to look at Mitchell, those yellow eyes watching her expectantly and the feathers shining healthily in the late day sunshine.

"Wow..."

The bird mantled his feathers, spreading his wings a little, and Weir reached out and touched one of those wings, absolutely unable to believe that this was the same person that had been standing in human form in front of them only a moment before.

"They can all do it?" Carson asked.

Sheppard nodded.

"All of them. And they're all just as big."

The bird disappeared, and was once more replaced by Kale, who smiled slightly.

"How long can you stay in one form?" Weir asked, curiously. "Is there a limit?"

"However long I wish," Kale answered. "Indefinitely if I were to decide to."

Weir nodded.

"Thank you for the demonstration, Kale," she said. "I hope you won't mind giving another one in the future, since I'm sure everyone else will want to see that as well."

Kale took the clothing Mitchell offered him and shook his head.

"I don't mind at all, Doctor Weir. It's not a hardship, after all, and if my people and your people are to be allies of a sort, it only makes sense that your people know what we are capable of doing."

Weir smiled.

"Well, I for one could use a cup of coffee," Melony said, watching as Kale dressed. "I'm sure you'd love to know what I found – and I gotta tell you, there's a lot to share." She looked over at Sheppard, and smiled. "A _whole_ lot."

"Then you can have your coffee while you report," Weir suggested as she tried not to watch Kale and watched him at the same time. Sometimes you _just_ couldn't help yourself, you know? "Kale? Are you hungry?"

"I'm not starving, but I would not say no to a light meal."

"Then let's go."


	16. 16

_You know, no one should be so dependent on anything as much as you are on that..._

Melony smiled as they all sat down at the table, a cup of steaming coffee in her hand and the smell of it in her nostrils.

I'm not _that_ bad, and it's been a few days, after all.

She sat down next to Kale and smiled again when Carson sat across from her, figuring that he'd wanted a better view of the Light One. This was fine with Melony, because she could see Beckett better sitting across from him, although it did cut down on how much covert hand holding they could do. She couldn't really do a lot of hand holding while giving a report, anyways. It wasn't done like that.

Sheppard had offered to bring Kale something to eat, and they'd been joined by Ford and McKay who greeted Kale cheerfully, well remembering him from their first trip to the Farmer's world.

"Come and sit down," Mitchell had told them, figuring they'd be interested in hearing about the visit to the sacred city. Both had joined them – Ford sat down on the other side of Melony, and Rodney sat down beside Sheppard, who had just returned with a plate of assorted foods for Kale to try.

"You can have _coffee_," John said, holding up a cup identical to Melony's. "Or you can have _tea_."

"Or _water_," Weir said, coming to sit across from Kale, next to Carson, where she, too, would have a good view of the Light One. "We have plenty of water around here."

It was pretty much a common joke around Atlantis, and the others smiled – causing Kale to smile politely as well.

"What's good enough for Colonel Mitchell is good enough for me," he said, reaching for the coffee cup.

Carson felt another stab of jealousy – and knew it was dumb, but just couldn't help himself. Here he was, just coming down from an epiphany – he'd just realized that he was in love with Melony, after all – and she was flirting with the alien. And it – _he_ – was flirting back.

He stifled that, knowing he didn't have any say over how she acted around others – or what she _did_ with others – but it wasn't easy. He wanted to take her back to his quarters – or hers – and tell her what he'd discovered. Unfortunately, she was too busy preparing to tell them all about what _she'd_ discovered, and how could he compete with a guy who could turn himself into a wolf and a bird at any minute?

"They let you go to the _city_?"

McKay's voice cut into Carson's thoughts and he turned to the Astrophysicist, who was looking at Melony with a mixture of jealousy and awe.

"What did you find there?"

"Another Stargate."

"You're shitting me..."

Mitchell grinned; she'd known that was going to cause a stir.

"Nope. We found it in one of the buildings – along with a wall filled with Stargate addresses – as near as we could tell. There was other writing as well, but it was in some language I didn't understand."

"I did not recognize it, either," Kale added. "Of course, my people abandoned writing forms even before the Sundering, so even if it is from our ancestors we will maybe never know."

"Did you find the point of origin on the other gate?" Rodney asked.

Mitchell nodded.

"We came through that gate – I wanted to try it out and see if it would work."

"So could you use this lost city –"

"Sacred city," Sheppard corrected Weir, who had started to ask a question. "They know where it is."

She smiled.

"Sacred city... as your base to study the Wraith from?"

Mitchell shook her head.

"It'd be perfect if I could – because of the proximity of the Stargate – but I can't for the same reason I can't use _this_ city. Because there's a chance that the Wraith will come looking for their dart or in case it has a self destruct device on it."

"Ah."

"But I'm going to help her find the perfect planet for this base of operations," Kale said, smiling reassuringly to Weir. "It won't take long, I am certain."

"Not with your help," Mitchell agreed.

Carson felt another pang of jealousy, and stood up, unable to sit through any more of the report. He didn't have to be here, anyways. It wasn't a medical report. They all looked at him when he moved, and he shrugged.

"I'd better head back to the infirmary," he explained. "I have some inventory to take care of."

Weir nodded.

_He looks upset_

Why?

_I don't know, hot shot. Maybe you should go ask him_

I will as soon as I'm done with the report.

She wanted a chance to spend a little alone time with him anyways. She'd certainly missed him, and had missed being held by him.

"So, how are the rest of your people?" Sheppard asked, unsure about just why it was so great to find an extra Stargate on a planet – he wasn't aware it was a rare thing, after all. "Everyone getting along with the Farmers?"

Kale nodded, smiling at the question because it showed that as an ally the Major cared for the rest of the Light Ones.

"Trade is getting ready to go in full swing. The cold weather is upon us, now, and soon the snow will fall – which means that the Farmers will soon need us to hunt for them, and will be supplying us with warm blankets and other coverings, so we will not be forced to transform to stay warm at night. It was a very good day for my people when you and yours arrived on my planet."

"For us, too," Weir said. She _was_ a diplomat, after all.

Kale smiled.

"How come Aron didn't come with you, Kale?" John asked, trying to sound nonchalant. "I'd have thought the more of your kind helping the better it would be..."

"Aron is with child, Major. She needs to stay in the safety of the colonel at the moment."


	17. 17

"With child?" John repeated.

"_Pregnant_," Mitchell clarified with a grin. "With twins."

"She didn't say anything about that when we were there..."

"She wasn't pregnant when you last visited," Kale said. "She-"

"How pregnant is she?" Sheppard asked, his face an interesting mixture of pale and flushed, and confused. Melony hid her grin.

"How pregnant?"

"How far along, he means," Melony said, looking at Weir, who was looking at John Sheppard with a slightly suspicious look in her expression. She'd heard all the stories, of course, and had definitely heard most of the rumors, of what had happened on the planet between some of the people of Sheppard's team and the Light Ones, but here was her first actual confirmation – and wasn't it just a _doozy_?

"How many weeks since your visit?" Kale asked, unaware of the stir he was causing.

Melony snorted. Sheppard's face had just gone paler. He looked over at her, scowling, and she didn't bother to hide her amusement. She outranked him, after all. It wasn't like he was going to be able to give her some shit detail for enjoying this.

"Don't look at _me_, Major. I was injured and had nothing to do with any of it, as I recall."

"You got one of the Light Ones pregnant?" Weir asked, incredulously.

"He is not the only one," Kale said, looking at Rodney, pointedly. McKay paused in the middle of taking a bit of his soup, his eyes suddenly wide, and his face just as awestruck as Sheppard's.

Ford snorted, and Melony looked over at him, snickering as well.

"It _isn't_ funny," Weir snapped, scowling at the two of them. "We're not in this little corner of the galaxy to add to the population growth. We're here-"

"Derna's pregnant?" Rodney asked, still stunned, but wanting to make sure he was the one Kale had been talking about.

Kale nodded.

"We should have brought cigars," Mitchell said.

Ford snickered again, trying to hide it since Weir looked pretty pissed, but unable to.

Weir scowled at him.

"And how many of them did _you_ impre-"

"Oh, no, Ma'am," Ford said, shaking his head, grinning. "I kept my little soldier in my pants."

Melony snickered again.

"The females took advantage of the rare visit by new males to add to our gene pool, Doctor Weir," Kale said, realizing finally that Elizabeth wasn't looking pleased by the revelation of the pregnancies. "They are responsible for the pregnancies – if they hadn't wanted offspring, they would not have enabled reproduction and activated the seed of the males."

Which wasn't really the topic for a dinner conversation, Melony thought. Of course, considering what the Light Ones usually did for dessert, it shouldn't be that surprising that they discussed sex and reproduction so openly.

"The-"

"Kale says the females control when they become pregnant," Melony explained, getting her amusement under control. The looks on the guys' faces was too priceless, but she didn't want hard feelings between Weir and Sheppard and McKay.

_You said _hard

She snickered again, giggling at Talon's silent words, and had to catch her breath.

"Colonel Mitchell is correct," Kale said. "The females-"

"What about the... um... babies?" Sheppard asked. "We should-"

"Do the right thing..." McKay's face was pained. It was obvious he hadn't planned on anything like this – and hadn't even considered it. Who knew the Light Ones could breed with Humans? Of course, now that he was thinking about it – and boy was he _ever_ thinking about it, now – he realized there was Human in their ancestry, or they wouldn't have human forms to go along with the other forms they had.

"The right thing?" Kale asked, confused.

"You know... um... marry them..."

"Marry?"

"Mate with them," Sheppard clarified.

"You _already_ mated with them..."

Melony's giggles were turning into snorts, and Ford's eyes were watering. Weir wasn't at all amused – she was in the middle of probably the worst thing that could happen to her team just then. Sheppard and McKay were both valuable members of the expedition, and she was either going to lose them to the Light Ones, if they had to move in with the females and start raising up little aliens, or she was about to add two pregnant aliens to her population – and baby aliens once they were born. What was she going to do with little aliens running around?

"It's not funny, Colonel."

Melony wiped her eyes, shaking her head.

"It's not as bad as you think it is, Doctor Weir. The offspring are raised by the colony. Usually a female will fly to another colony when she's ready to have children – to keep the bloodlines diversified – but then she goes back to her home colony, and the males who are the fathers have nothing to do with the raising of their offspring. Major Sheppard and Doctor McKay aren't _supposed_ to do the right thing. It's not the way things work with the Light Ones."

Kale nodded. He and Mitchell had already discussed this and he knew she understood how it worked.

"We expect nothing from Major Sheppard or Doctor McKay. The offspring will look nothing like them anyways – as our appearance breeds true on the females' lines."

"So no little Rodneys running around, changing into birds and crashing into walls trying to learn how to fly," Melony said, smiling. "Just a few more tall naked aliens."


	18. 18

Weir didn't look at all mollified, but Sheppard was at least a little less pale than he had been. He didn't quite look so stunned, anyways. McKay did, though. His forehead was furrowed and there was a definite look of distraction on his face. Melony wiped her eyes again. It probably _wasn't_ as funny as it was, but she couldn't help herself. Their reactions had been priceless.

"When you've finished your coffee, Colonel," Weir said, frowning slightly in her direction. "Go and get a check up from Doctor Beckett – and take Kale here with you." She turned to the Light One, and her expression was now much calmer – she was a diplomat, after all. "It's routine for us to check everyone who comes back from an away mission – or anyone they bring back," she explained. "It won't hurt, and it's fairly noninvasive."

"I'm ready," Melony said, standing up. She'd wanted a reason to go see Carson, anyways, and this was as good as any. "Kale?"

He nodded, and stood as well.

"We'll get some temporary quarters set up for you," Elizabeth told him, smiling and looking at Sheppard – delegating the job to him. Sheppard nodded. It would definitely give him something to do.

"Thank you, Doctor Weir." Kale said, bowing formally. "It was a pleasure meeting you, and I do hope I will see you again." He gave her a light, almost seductive smile, and Weir felt her cheeks flushing slightly. If the women Light Ones were as charming as this male was, it was no wonder the away team had – no, that wasn't an excuse for being so reckless, she decided. Sexual attraction aside, they were _not_ supposed to be spreading pollen – they were supposed to be finding trading partners. Not bedmates. Or whatever they'd- anyways...

"You will see me again," she promised him. "And I'm looking forward to it."

Diplomatic.

Kale smiled, and allowed Melony to lead him out of the room, smiling at those in the room who were watching – and receiving more than a few smiles in return.

Weir looked at Ford, who was still grinning although he was hiding it as well as he could in his coffee cup.

"Lieutenant?"

"Ma'am?"

"Don't you have a patrol or something to be doing?"

"No, ma'am," he said, shaking his head. 'I just came off-" he realized that she wanted him to leave, then, and started nodding. "Come to think of it, I do have a report to write about all the... um... _activity_... we saw on our... patrol..." Through the very boring already discovered hallways of Atlantis. He stood up, gulping down the last of his coffee. "I'd better get to it."

He turned and headed for the door, but heard Weir's first comment to Sheppard and McKay before he did.

"Are you two _out of your minds_...?"

Ford grinned, shaking his head again. As tempting as the Light Ones had been, he was glad that Colonel Mitchell had been hurt during that trip and he'd felt it was his responsibility to keep an eye on her. Otherwise he'd probably be getting chewed out, too. He'd have to remember to thank her for breaking her leg – or to thank Kale for dropping her. One or the other.

OOOOOOOO

"Doctor Weir seems like a very competent leader," Kale said as he and Melony walked towards the infirmary.

"She's doing a good job here," Mitchell agreed. "They got a lot more than they expected when they gated here, and she's done well by those that she brought with her."

"She's very attractive."

_Uh oh – he's in lust..._

Melony smiled.

His people all have light hair and eyes. He probably can't help himself – she's completely different from the females he knows.

Which was probably why Teyla had attracted so much attention form the Light Ones as well, since she was dark in coloring as well.

_And you with your hair even paler than theirs and eyes just as blue_... Talon said, feigning regret. _They probably didn't even notice you_

Well, she knew better than that, of course, but her injuries had prevented her from the need to make an excuse to avoid such physical exertions. She wasn't entirely ready for a tryst – and when she _was_, she already had the man picked out to be with. And his hair wasn't blonde, either.

Carson looked up when Melony and Kale walked into the infirmary, and he felt yet another stab of jealousy when he saw her smiling – at something the Light One had said, probably. He frowned, knowing he was being childish and unable to help himself. Couldn't she spend a little time with _him_? She'd been away for what seemed like forever – although it'd only been a day or two – and he'd missed her.

Her smile lit up her eyes when she saw him, and Mitchell made a beeline for the doctor with Kale right beside her.

"Carson, we're reporting for our physicals, now," she said, hopping up onto one of the tables. "Do you have time?"

"Of course."

He called another doctor over – they didn't have any patients just then, anyways, and it'd give his staff something to do. He introduced Kale to the other doctor – and the nurse who had accompanied her – and then sent them off to give the alien a quick check up – which left him (not coincidentally) alone with Melony.

She noticed this, too, of course, and smiled.

"Alone at last..."

How could he be angry when facing her like this? He smiled – although it was slightly forced – and hesitantly reached out and touched her hand.

"Rank has its privileges." He told her.

She laughed, and took her hand out of his. Before he could get hurt because she didn't want him touching her, he realized she'd only done it so she could reach out and pull the side curtain closed, telling him without words that she wanted a little privacy. He pulled the rest of the curtain closed, able to reach it far easier than she could, since he was standing and she wasn't.

Then she took his hand again, pulling him closer, until he was standing between her knees where she sat on the edge of the examination bed. Close enough to her that he could feel her warmth and could practically hear her heart beating. She leaned toward him, resting her cheek against his sternum, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly – almost possessively.

"I missed this..." she said softly.

He ran his hand through her silky hair and pulled away just enough so he could kiss her – which he did. Soundly. He couldn't have been more pleased at her response to the kiss; she returned it and deepened it – as if she truly did need him as much as he needed her. No matter that she'd been with naked boy for the last two nights, doing who knew what...

His kiss became almost as possessive as his embrace had been, and Melony pulled away in surprise. She'd never felt such urgency from him before, and was a little alarmed. It wasn't like she'd been gone for weeks, after all.

"Carson?"

He flushed, realizing that he had allowed his anxieties get the best of him, and had probably overreacted a little – maybe a lot. He brushed his hands along her cheeks, dropping a butterfly kiss on her lips but not pressing it any further.

"I'm sorry..."

She smiled, and pulled his head down for a better kiss than the butterfly one, her lips possessing his for just a moment.

"I'll survive."

Knowing that if they kept going in the manner they were, he was never going to get her physical done – and already he was going to have to keep the lower part of his body behind a table or some other piece of equipment until he got his reaction to her nearness under control – Beckett kissed her once more, quickly, and then pulled back

"I'd better give you that check up, now..."

She was well aware of his reaction – she couldn't miss it, after all – and she loved him for it. Loved him _period_, she decided, surprised by the realization.

_Finally admitted it?_

What?

_Oh, please..._ Talon's voice was amused, and smug. _You've loved him for a while, now, even if you wouldn't allow yourself to say it – even in your head_

She smiled. Maybe she had...

"Your blood pressure's a little higher than it normally is," Carson said, pulling her attention back to him.

"Well... there are extenuating circumstances," she reminded him, forcing herself not to blurt out what she'd just realized. She wasn't going to tell him she loved him, only to have him feel forced to say the same thing. She could wait. "Take it again in a few minutes..."

He smiled, and she felt a flutter in her heart, and was glad he wasn't checking her pulse just then.


	19. 19

He _did_ check her blood pressure a few minutes later – he was a thorough doctor, after all – and found it was back to its usual level. Of course, he didn't really have to worry about there being anything wrong with Melony. Not when she had Talon to keep her in perfect health and to let him know if there was something he needed to know about, or something the symbiote might need help with – like the gene therapy thing they'd done when Mitchell had first arrived in Atlantis.

By the time he'd finished the rest of her physical – nothing _too_ physical, unfortunately – his own very physical reaction to her nearness and her kiss had also gone back to normal.

"You're in perfect health," he told her.

She smiled.

"I know."

Carson touched her cheek with his fingertips, smiling at the smug tone of voice she'd used.

"What are you going to do now?" He was hoping that she'd spend a bit of time with him – maybe some quiet time, where he'd find the courage and the opening to tell her about his epiphiny.

"I'm going to gather up my alien and go to my quarters and get mission files," she said. "We're going to go through some of the planets that were explored before I got here, and see if any are actually worth going to look at in person."

His face fell. That meant she wouldn't have time for him.

Melony noticed the look.

"Did you need something, first, Carson?" She asked.

He sighed – silently – and shook his head.

"No. It'll wait until another time."

"Are you su-"

"Doctor Beckett?"

They turned at the sound of the nurse's voice coming from the other side of the curtain, and Carson opened it, turning away from Melony.

The nurse was standing there with Kale towering beside her, the Light One looking around the infirmary with interest – as he had been since he'd arrived there.

"He's fine, as near as we can tell," she reported, handing over a chart. "His heartbeat is a bit faster than our normal rates – but he says it's normal for his people – and his temperature is ten degrees higher than our own, but that's a metabolical reaction to his ability to change forms, apparently."

Carson looked through the chart, noting that there were a few other differences in the physiology of the Light Ones – but like the nurse and the other doctor, he didn't know if they were average for his people or not. That was the problem with aliens, he supposed.

"Well, then, we'd better get to work," Melony said from behind Carson, hopping off the table gracefully and coming around Beckett to put her hand on Kale's arm as she smiled up at him.

That was the _other_ problem with aliens, Carson decided, feeling another stab of jealousy. Which was foolish, he knew, but he couldn't help himself. She wasn't that friendly with everyone else in Atlantis, was she? He didn't see her walking around with her hand on Major Sheppard's arm, or smiling so easily with Weir.

"I'm eager to get started," Kale said. He turned to Beckett, who hid his less than pleased expression quickly. "Thank you, Doctor Beckett, for your time. It was a pleasure meeting you, and I hope to see you again."

Carson nodded.

"You're welcome."

It wasn't the friendliest of replies, but Melony didn't notice and neither did Kale.

"We'll head to my quarters, Kale," she said to him. "I've got to get the disks that have the mission files on them. Then we'll find out where Doctor Weir has decided to put you for the duration of your stay."

She walked off with the Light One walking beside her, and Carson watched the two leave, a sullen and hurt look in his expression.

"I know where _I'd_ like to put him..." he muttered to himself.

"Doctor?"

Carson looked over, and realized he'd forgotten about the presence of the nurse – who was luckily too far away to hear his soft comment. He forced a smile, and handed her the chart once more.

"We'd better keep this on file," he told her. "Never know when we might have more visitors like him, and it'd be good to have something to use as a reference."

"Yes, doctor." She nodded and took the chart with her, heading for one of the computers where she'd enter in the information into their slowly forming database of alien people they were coming into contact with from Atlantis, and Carson sent another look at the door Melony had walked out of, then went to finish his inventory. He would see her later, probably, and maybe he'd talk to her about how he felt. If she wasn't still clinging to Kale.

OOOOOOOO

"I like your Doctor Beckett," Kale said as he and Mitchell walked down the corridor from the infirmary.

Melony smiled up at him.

"I like him, too."

Kale nodded.

"I can tell."

"Oh?"

"Your eyes light up when you speak to him."

She smiled. She hadn't known that, but it made sense – as long as they weren't glowing.

_That would have nothing to do with Becker_, Talon told her, amused.

"Is he your mate?" Kale asked.

She shook her head, not taking offense at the abrupt – and personal – question. The Light Ones were far more open about such things, and Melony was already getting used to it.

"No."

"But you would like him to be, wouldn't you?"

She smiled, and shook her head in amusement. Either he was far more observant than she'd suspected, or she was a lot more transparent than what was normal for her.

_His kind _is _telepathic_, Talon reminded her. _Maybe he's getting some vibes?_

Maybe.

That could be it.

_Of course, it could just be that you have the hots for the good doctor, and it shows quite plainly – it certainly shows from the inside_

She ignored that last jab, knowing that he was talking about her own physical reactions to Carson's presence and his kisses, and answered Kale honestly, since he'd asked the question so guilelessly.

"I think so, yes."

"Does he know?"

"I'm not sure. Probably not." Maybe.

"You should tell him..."

She nodded; since that was what Talon was telling her as well there was no reason to argue with either of them.

"Maybe when all this is over..." She shrugged, and pointed at the door to her quarters. "For now, though, the Wraith come first, and in order to work on that problem, we need to get going on finding a proper planet..."

He looked like he was going to say something, but he didn't. Instead, the Light One nodded – although he was fairly sure that such single-mindedness could only have negative results – and followed her into her quarters.


	20. 20

It didn't take them long to pick up the laptop and files from Mitchell's quarters and then head to the lounge area, which would be better for their purposes. Melony could use the large screen for showing the video of the mission reports – what few time there was actual recordings of the places that had been checked out. While they were looking at the screen to see if any of the planets looked promising, Melony could flip through the files looking for other possibilities.

"You want a cup of coffee or anything?" She asked Kale as they settled in, the Light One sitting on the comfortable couch while Mitchell pulled a coffee table – or what they were using as a coffee table – over to set her laptop on.

Kale shook his head, watching with interest as she set things up, and leaning back.

She'd want one soon, but she could wait for a bit. Instead, she turned on the screen and got things going. They had hours of footage to look through, and although there wasn't really any hurry, she didn't want to waste any more time than necessary. She picked up the remote, turning on the TV, and settled beside Kale, who was fascinated with the technology he was seeing.

"Tell me when you get tired, and we'll take a break," she told him, knowing that he wasn't used to sitting around.

He nodded, and she hit the play button.

OOOOOOOOO

Kale didn't last all that long – a couplehours or so – before he needed to get up and move around. Melony understood completely, but she wasn't ready to stop just then. Luckily, she didn't need to. Sheppard and Ford had both come to join her and Kale in the lounge – and Ford had brought coffee, which was even better – and John offered to take Kale off and show him his quarters while Melony continued watching the videos with Ford, who was more than willing to help her choose which planets she might want to try first.

Kale and Sheppard returned an hour later, and Ford left them to take care of some things he needed to do. Sheppard left a while after that, and another hour after that, kale left once more to go to his quarters. The Light One wasn't used to a long day and they'd arrived in Atlantis only a few hours after sunrise – which made his day almost twice as long as he was accustomed to. Add to that the fact that he didn't have anything physical to do to keep his blood flowing, and Kale was ready for a nap long before Melony was.

She barely noticed the coming and going of those around her as she flipped through the files thru out the rest of the day. Mitchell was fairly single-minded on her own when it came to something like this, but when she was added in with Talon – who was equally single-minded, and well able to keep his host from getting sore and stiff from sitting for long periods of time – the Colonel was capable of going for hours without a break. And was more than ready to.

OOOOOOOOO

"Melony?"

She looked up from the screen of her laptop, just a bit annoyed at the interruption, and saw Carson standing next to her.

"Hmm?"

She looked back down at her screen once she was sure he wasn't bleeding or something.

"Are you going to be here all night?"

"What time is it?"

"It's the middle of the night. You should take a break and get some rest."

She nodded, not looking up.

"I will, Carson, as soon as I'm done with this mission report…"

"How about a cup of coffee, at least?" He asked.

"No, thanks."

"Melony…"

She looked up again at the exasperated tone of his voice, and sighed softly to herself when Talon told her she might as well take a quick break and get herself a cup of coffee while they mulled over what they'd already looked through.

"Fine…"

She closed the laptop – she'd long since turned off the big screen since there wasn't anyone to look with her and the laptop was just a easy for her to look at – and stretched, feeling a bit stiff even with Talon's help.

He smiled, glad that she was going to take a break.

"Your quarters?"

She stood up and nodded. It was closer, and she would only have to share her coffee with _him_ that way.

_Stingy bitch_

She grinned. Although she was used to his little comments, every now and then he'd throw one out just to unbalance her, and it always worked.

Bastard.

_I do what I can,_ he told her. _Go spend some time with your doctor_

_Her_ doctor. She liked the sound of that.

"You okay?" He asked. "Or are you holding another one of those private conversations?" Meaning was she talking to Talon – which she was.

"Talon was just telling me I need a break."

"I told you that, too."

"Yeah, well, you're both right and I _could_ use a cup of coffee – and maybe something to eat. Are you hungry?"

"Sure."

"You go get us something to eat, and I'll meet you in my quarters with a fresh pot of coffee brewing."

He agreed, and the two parted ways, Melony heading for her quarters and Carson going to get them a midnight snack.

OOOOOOOOO

"So…"

They were stretched out on her bed – fully dressed, although Melony had changed out of her uniform and into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt while she'd waited for the coffee to brew – with a couple of plates between them that held an assortment of the late night foods available to the Atlanteans.

She gave him a questioning look.

"Hmm?"

"Have you found any good planets, yet?"

She shook her head, ruefully.

"The problem with a planet that looks deserted when you get there is that there isn't anything to write down about it – which makes for a short and boring report to read and absolutely no detail of the planet. Besides 'we didn't see anything here'."

Carson smiled.

"So is that a no, then?"

She shrugged.

"Pretty much. We'll go check them out, and make a slightly more detailed report once we get there."

"Just you and Kale?"

She nodded.

"But not until I get a harness of some sort made up – so he can carry me a little easier."

"How long will that be?"

"I don't know, Carson… I'll have to rummage through stores to see what I have to work with."

She set her coffee cup down, and sighed, tiredly. Not only was she just a little tired from the last few days of snooping through the Sacred city of the Light Ones and the day of looking through the files, but she was well aware of the scope of the proposal ahead of her. This was the beginning of something that was going to take a long time, she was certain.

_It's worth it_

I know.

There was no debate on that.

"Tired?" Carson asked, moving their plates to the stand next to her bed, and scooting closer to her so he could pull her into his arms.

She nodded, cuddling close and resting her cheek against his chest.

"Just realizing what's ahead of me… it's daunting."

"You don't have to do it alone," he told her, running his hand along her shoulder as he held her. Her muscles were tight, and tense, and the caress turned into something of a backrub, which she accepted willingly, closing her eyes and pretty much melting against him.

"I know…" She said, almost asleep under his gentle touch. The best thing about loving a Doctor; his skilled fingers. "Kale is helping…"

She was too drowsy to feel him tense against her, and he didn't stop his gentle rubbing motion, but an almost familiar pained look crossed Carson expression just then, and he felt yet another stab of irrational jealousy. That hadn't been what he'd wanted to hear, but Melony fell asleep before he could remind her that he was there for her, too.


	21. 21

When Mitchell woke, she was alone in her bed. Unfortunately.

_You really need to tell him how you feel, you know_

Yeah.

She just wasn't all that great at doing stuff like that. Besides, at the moment, she had to be able to focus on what she was doing, and she couldn't do that if she kept mooning over Carson.

_And what you're doing now is better?_

No, probably not, but at least this way if he doesn't really feel the same way I do, I won't know until later…

It was definitely one of those things that were best put off until later.

_And if he_ does _feel the same way?_

Well… it'll wait.

Probably.

Relationships were so complicated. Melony stretched and debated whether or not to hide from the day – and her feelings – and just go back to sleep.

_We have things to do _

Yeah, I know.

She dragged herself out of bed and let habit take over. A pot of coffee was started and she headed for the shower, allowing the hot water to start the process of waking up – something she never did quickly at the best of times, unless Talon stepped in and helped her out with a jolt of adrenaline, which he didn't do all that often.

_I spoil you enough already_

Uh huh.

She got out of the shower, dried off and dressed in a fresh uniform and sat on her bed and downed a cup of coffee before she even bothered to reach for her laptop.

_Maybe you should go find Kale and check on him_

Yeah.

_But first, go find Carson and tell him thank you for making you take a break last night_

Okay, mom.

Talon sent her a wave of amusement, but she knew he was serious about her finding Beckett, so she poured herself another cup of coffee and carrying it in one hand and her laptop in the other, she headed out the door and towards the infirmary.

OOOOOOOOO

Carson was exactly where she'd expected to find him, but he was busy – which she hadn't expected. He had decided that it wouldn't be a bad idea if more than just his staff and a few of the Marines and others were trained in first aid, and had implemented classes – which Weir had approved of completely and had made pretty much mandatory. Melony, too, thought it was a good idea – although she knew first aid and more because of Talon's extra knowledge and didn't actually _need_ to take the class. At the moment, Carson was instructing one of the advanced classes how to put stitches into a piece of torn cloth. (which was better than actually practicing on people)

He saw her when she walked into the infirmary, and gave her a smile that didn't quite look right, but Melony was so busy admiring him that she didn't notice.

He's so much more awake in the mornings than I am, she told Talon. Could you imagine me trying to teach _anyone_ anything this time of day?

_I'm surprised you can_ walk _this time of day_

She smiled, and held up her coffee cup, asking him silently if he wanted a sip, and this time his smile was warmer when he nodded and told his class to keep practicing and he'd be right back.

"Good morning," she told him, handing over her coffee cup. He took an appreciative sip and handed it back to her, a look in his eyes that made her feel gooey inside.

"Good morning."

"I missed you when I woke up."

"You were sleeping pretty soundly, so I figured I'd just let you sleep. You probably needed it."

"Probably," she agreed. "Thanks for the break last night."

"You needed that, too."

She nodded

"I know."

He looked back at his class, and she knew she was being stingy with his time. Besides, she had things she needed to get done as well.

"You'd better get back to them, huh?"

"Aye. Will I see you for lunch?"

Say yes, or I'll give you cramps the rest of the day 

She smiled and nodded.

"Yes. Come find me, okay?"

"I will."

She wanted to kiss him, but didn't dare do it in front of his class. Adults or not, they could be just as childish as a group of ten year olds when someone showed affection to someone else – and with her running around with a naked alien, she was pretty sure the rumors were already flying, although she hadn't heard any. Instead, she touched his hand for just a moment – just enough that he had a chance to squeeze it in return, and then smiled.

"I'll see you at lunch."

He nodded, and she left the infirmary, glad she'd taken the time to see him.

_I'm a genius_

Sometimes.

He let it go at that, and she headed for the quarters that Kale had been given. She didn't want to wake him up, but if he was awake, she was ready to start talking about making a harness – and for that, she needed to see the size of his talons up close and without having them jabbed into her shoulder.

She knocked lightly on the door, but when there was no answer, she decided that he was either sleeping or had left his quarters to find something to eat – or someone to talk to – and she decided that she'd check the commissary first (and maybe grab a bite to eat herself).

That room was practically empty as well, and Kale wasn't there. Nor were Sheppard or anyone else who might have seen him. She sighed, and sat down at one of the long tables, a plate of pancakes in front of her on one side, and her laptop opened on the other. She'd give it a bit – maybe he'd come looking for her. Until then, she could take another look at some of the planets she'd decided might be worth checking out. Ignoring the people around her, and barely touching her breakfast, she delved into her files and only came up to take a drink of her rapidly cooling coffee.


	22. 22

Kale eventually found her. He walked into the commissary with Dr. Weir beside him, fresh from a tour of the upper area of Atlantis. The Light One had requested the tour, and Weir – knowing that Colonel Mitchell was right about him being an ally and being treated as such – had agreed to give him one. And she was glad that she had, because it gave her a chance to get to know him a little better, and to find out a bit more about his people. Both by asking him about them, and simply by observing him. She was a killed diplomat, after all, and even though he wasn't Human, she could read body language just as well on him as on an Ambassador from some other country.

His answers were open and honest, and his expression was just as revealing. He and his people had nothing to hide as far as she could tell, and if he was lying about being willing to help Colonel Mitchell, then he was a better liar than Weir was, because she couldn't see anything but sincerity in him. He'd answered all her questions – although she'd avoided anything about their nocturnal interests – and by the time the tour was over she knew probably as much about the Light Ones as Colonel Mitchell herself did. And ale had learned a few things about Weir and her people as well.

"Colonel Mitchell," Kale said by way of greeting as the two of them walked over to her.

Melony looked up, and smiled when she saw that he was there with Weir.

"Hey, just the Light One I was looking for…"

Weir smiled, although Kale didn't quite get the humor.

"I am the only one here."

Mitchell grinned.

"Good point."

"Did you require my assistance?" Kale asked politely, sitting down when Melony gestured for him to, and smiling when Weir sat beside him, curious what Melony had planned for that day.

"I do," she nodded. "I want to work on rigging up that harness today, and I need your help with it."

"I'm not sure how much I can help-"

"I just need you to be in bird form so I can figure out what I need for you to be able to grab – I'm not sure how much the Kevlar vests can handle, so I'd rather have a sturdier way to be carried."

"I wouldn't drop you."

"On _purpose_," Melony added, agreeing. "But if the vest broke or something, I'd plummet, and that's just not something I want to chance."

Weir smiled. She could agree to that.

"Did you find a parachute?" She asked Mitchell.

"Yeah. You guys brought a ton of them – I'm not sure why, exactly – but I was glad to see them. I'll use the harness and cables from one of them to rig up my carrier thing."

"Do you need any help?"

"Just Kale's. I'm a fair hand at that kind of thing, you know?"

Well, Talon was, really, but Melony had picked up a few things from her symbiote.

"Then I'll leave you two to get to it, and go back to my duties."

"Thank you for the tour Doctor Weir," Kale said, politely, resting his hand lightly on hers for a moment.

Weir smiled, "Any time, Kale. It was a pleasure."

She got up and left, and Kale watched her walk away as Melony turned off her laptop and closed it up. She looked over at him, and saw he was still looking at the door she'd left through.

"She's engaged, you know…"

"What does that mean?" Kale asked, turning his attention to Mitchell.

"It means that she has a male waiting at home for her and will marry him, eventually. Marriage is a formal union between a male and a female," she explained before he could ask.

They got to their feet and headed for the door.

"But the male isn't here?"

Mitchell shook her head.

"No."

"Then she must lack companionship…"

Melony shook her head, grinning, but she didn't disagree. Who was she to say what Weir lacked?

"Besides," Kale said, shrugging his shoulders. "She can have her marriage. I am not interested in anything formal – my people seldom are."

Oh, didn't Melony just know _that_?

_And Sheppard, and McKay, and Teyla… and who knows who else since he's arrived?_

Mitchell grinned.

That's none of our business. Making this harness thing is.

With that in mind, she led him to the supply room she'd found the parachutes in, and picked one off the shelf. Then they carried it to a large empty room that they all suspected had been a meeting room of some sort, where Melony tore it apart and started remodifying it, pulling buckles and straps from one part and adding them to another, and occasionally having Kale switch forms so she could compare his talons to the metal parts that would be used specifically for holding her.

It took her the rest of the morning to get it done, but before lunchtime, she was pretty sure she had exactly what she needed to safely be carried around by Kale – or any of the other Light Ones.

The former parachute harness was now fairly similar to a climbing harness – although it not only went around her waist and between her legs; it also went higher up on her chest than normal climbing gear did, criss-crossing her back and front. That way if she tipped for some reason, she wouldn't slip out of the harness and fall. Which would be bad. At each shoulder there was a metal ring – about the size of her head – that Kale could grab (they hoped) with his talons and use to carry her. These were connected to the harness at the shoulder with metal buckles that would be a lot sturdier than a Kevlar vest. Hopefully.

"Well?" She said, finally, modeling the final result, and quite pleased with how it had turned out. "What do you think?"

"Will it work?" Kale asked. He'd never seen such a contraption before – obviously – and was mystified. He understood what he was supposed to do with it, it was just unfamiliar to him.

"One way to find out."

_It's lunchtime_

I know. I just want to try this out, first. Then we'll go eat.

She hadn't forgotten that she was going to eat with Carson.

Kale put his clothes on – he'd needed them off when he changed into bird form – and he and Melony walked out of the large room, Mitchell still wearing the harness, to see how well it traveled. Chances were she'd want to keep it on if she could, since it would be a pain in the ass to take it off and put it back on again and again.

"We'll head to one of the observation areas," she told Kale as they walked. "It's the best place I can think of to have you grab me." He needed altitude, or she'd just go down by the swimming area.

"That's fine," Kale agreed.

"Where ya going?"

They both turned and saw Sheppard and Ford walking up behind them, both of them looking at the harness Mitchell was wearing.

"Is that the carry harness you were making?" Ford asked before Melony could answer Sheppard's original question.

"Yup. We're going to go test it out. Want to come watch?"

Sheppard smiled.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."


	23. 23

_Perhaps you should go get Beckett and let him watch, too?_

It won't take long, Talon.

_It won't take long to ask him if he wants to come and watch, either, and he might want to see what's going to be keeping you from uncontrollably crashing into the ground while we're out checking things out_

"One quick detour, guys," she said aloud, figuring it was just as easy to do what Talon wanted than to bother to argue with him.

_You're getting wise in your old age…_

Yeah, yeah… pesky snake.

He was amused, though, and that always made her smile, too.

"Where we going?" Ford asked as they turned towards an inner corridor instead of heading for the balcony she'd intended to use.

"Infirmary," she said.

"You have that much faith in the harness?" Sheppard asked, smiling.

Mitchell grinned, but before she could say anything, she saw Carson turn the corner ahead of them, obviously going towards the commissary.

"Carson!"

He turned at the sound of his name – and her voice – and smiled as he changed direction to walk over and meet them, his eyes on her, and the harness she was wearing.

"I was just heading for the commissary," he said. "Are you ready for lunch?" It was a dumb question, he knew, because she didn't _look_ ready for lunch, she looked ready to go jump out of an airplane or something. But was it too much to hope that she'd be ready to spend a little time alone with him? Maybe they could even have a talk.

Melony shook her head.

"We're going to try out the harness, and I thought you might want to watch."

_You mean _I_ thought he might want to watch_

Same thing.

_Uh huh_

Carson _didn't_ want to watch. He wanted to go have lunch with her and have her to himself for a while – without Kale, or Sheppard or anyone else with them. He wanted to tell her how he felt, and see if maybe she felt the same way – because he was getting tired of wondering and trying to guess, and he needed her to know that he loved her. It was worse than having a secret he couldn't tell – because he _could_ tell this – he just couldn't get her alone in the right… moment… to do it. And it was frustrating as hell.

Especially since she didn't seem to feel the same way at all. All she wanted to do was hang out – literally – with Kale. The great big naked, handsome alien that already had half his female staff swooning over him when they thought no one else was listening, and probably would have the other half before the end of his visit.

"I'd love to…" He lied. He'd do whatever he needed to – sit through whatever he needed to – in order to be with her. Even if it meant watching her and Kale trying out this new harness that she seemed so impressed by.

Her excited smile made him resent the lie a little less, and the arm she put around him as he walked up beside her made it even more bearable – even with the others there.

"It shouldn't take long," she told him. "We just want to see how this thing works so I know what kind of modifications I need to make before we head out."

"When will that be?" Sheppard asked, before Carson could.

"Depending on this harness thing… tomorrow… maybe the next day. We've found a couple likely looking planets to check out."

"So soon?" Carson asked. When she left, who knew when she'd be back? And who knew what would happen with her and Kale – if it hadn't already happened. He wanted her to know… wanted to put his claim in before-

"The sooner we leave, the sooner we can get started," Melony said, practically. "I don't think it's going to take us all that long to find the right planet – not with Kale's help."

"I am happy to help," The Light One told her, amicably.

Carson sulked, trying to force down his jealousy, but unable to.

"I just remembered something I need to do," he told her and the others, stopping so quickly that Melony's arm – which had still been draped around him loosely – fell to her side. "I'll… catch up with you later, okay?"

"You sure?" Melony asked. "It won't take long…"

He wasn't sure if her look was hurt or just surprised, but he felt a slight surge of satisfaction in seeing it. Good, let _her_ wonder about things for a while. Knowing that that particular thought was about as petty as anything he'd ever had, he felt a little guilty for having it, but didn't change his mind and go with them.

"Yes, I need to do this. I'll see you later."

He turned and headed back to the infirmary without looking back, and the others watched him go with varying degrees of surprise.

"Huh." Sheppard said. "That was odd."

"Maybe he had to go," Ford said.

"He _went_," Kale said, looking at the Lieutenant, who gave a slight smile.

"No… _go_… as in go to the bathroom…"

"Oh."

Mitchell shrugged. Whatever it was, it was his choice – although she wondered why he hadn't just turned her down in the first place if he didn't want to watch.

"Oh well, he can watch another time," she said. "I'm sure there'll be plenty of opportunities."

They all headed back the way they'd come, and were soon on the balcony. It was a bit narrower than they'd have liked, but it was the widest they'd found so far.

"Are you going to be able to pluck her off this ledge?" Sheppard asked, looking around. It was maybe 20 feet wide, with a safety rail around it and the usual glass walls that weren't really glass as they all knew it, but was close enough. It wasn't nearly as big as the cliff ledge that Kale was used to, Sheppard knew. The Light One didn't seem concerned, though.

"I can get her," he said, undressing. "The landing will be interesting though, since I'm not sure how well I will be able to slow up in the small space."

"We'll just have to take our chances," Melony said, ignoring the warning in the excitement of trying out her new thing. She double-checked the harness and straps while Kale transformed himself into bird form, and all three of them watched as he launched himself from the deck, wings beating powerfully as he flew out away from them, testing the air currents before wheeling around and coming back their direction.

"Step back, guys," Melony warned Sheppard and Ford, who didn't need the warning. She made sure the loops that Kale's talons would grab were easily accessible, and then braced herself as he came swooping in.

A moment later, he was grabbing her, jerking her off the ledge with one quick motion and then carrying her off, using those same loops to hold her.

Melony looked down – way down – with a thrill coursing through her. Not only because the harness was working exactly as she'd wanted it to – it was a lot more stable than a Kevlar vest, and far more comfortable – but because she and Kale were so far above the water that it was breathtaking. The view – always beautiful – was phenomenal, and she whooped in delight, feeling an adrenaline rush that Talon had nothing to do with.

"This is awesome!"

Talon's amusement was the only answer she received. Kale could hear her, but obviously couldn't respond in words, and no one else was around. The huge bird circled in a wide turn and headed back for the balcony – a small speck in the distance that grew bigger as they approached, and then suddenly looked tiny again as she decided that they were going way too fast to land gently.

_This might be a problem_, Talon said, noticing the same thing she did – at the same time.

Yeah.

She saw Sheppard and Ford getting closer and closer, and then her feet here over the rail and she felt Kale's talons release the loop and felt herself dropping. She was only a few feet from the surface of the deck, but her velocity was far too fast to slow down.

_Brace yourself_

Before she could follow that bit of advice, she crashed into the glass wall at an astounding force. It shattered under the impact, and she went through it, tumbling to the floor in a heap, and only stopping when she slammed into the concrete wall that formed the other side of the corridor.


	24. 24

Carson didn't have anything to do. He didn't have anywhere to go or anyone to talk to. He'd cleared his schedule to eat lunch with Melony – and now he didn't even have _that_ to look forward to, because he'd brushed her off in a moment of pique and she probably figured he'd be busy the rest of the day and wouldn't bother to come looking for him before going to eat, now.

Feeling sorry for himself and pouting at the same time, he went to his quarters and flopped down on his bed, well aware that he was acting like a teenaged girl and unable to help himself. He sighed, and stared at the ceiling, his thoughts as dark as his mood.

Some time later – he had no clue how long it was because he wasn't positive when he'd entered his quarters – there was a loud knocking on his door. He dragged himself off the bed, wondering who was pounding like that – certainly not Melony, who never hurried. He crossed the living room to his quarters and palmed the door open. And found one of his medical staff standing there, blood all over her uniform.

"You need to come, Do-"

She didn't even get that far. Beckett didn't need her to tell him that something had happened – her clothing and serious look were plenty of evidence that something was definitely bad. He bolted across the hall and into the infirmary. And found Sheppard, Ford and a naked Kale standing close to a bed that was surrounded with medics. All three of them spattered with blood – and none of it theirs.

"Oh God, what happened?"

"She crashed into a glass wall when she landed…" Sheppard answered as Beckett made his way through the crowd of medical staff, knowing before they said anything that it had to be Melony, since she was the only one he didn't see standing there. And it was.

She was lying on the table, bloody bandages pressed hard against gashes that he knew weredeep just from the amount of blood he was seeing. She was also unconscious.

"Did she get knocked out when she crashed?" He asked. "Has she said anything?"

"No." Ford said.

"She was unconscious when we got to her."

He nodded, pulling one of the bandages away and winced.

"Crap."

"Is she going to be all right?" Kale asked, towering over the others and able to see the deep cut that was revealed when the bandage was moved.

"I'm sure she will," Beckett said. "Let's get some labs done on her, people." Beckett turned to the three who were standing there. "You guys need to go wait somewhere else and clear my infirmary."

Knowing that it wouldn't do them any good to argue, Sheppard pulled Kale away, and Ford followed them.

"I need to go tell Weir what happened."

"It was _my_ fault, Major. I will accompany you." Kale told him. He had let her go, and should have known she was going too fast to be able to land safely.

"We'll need to stop and get your clothes, first," John told him. He turned to Ford. "Stay close and let me know if anything changes."

"Yes, Sir."

OOOOOO

Most of the cuts turned out to be not minor, but not really all that serious. Serious if it had been someone else, but nothing that Carson knew Talon couldn't handle on his own. Blood work brought to him while he examined Mitchell told him that there were no internal injuries that he needed to deal with, either. There was a bit of bruising on her liver and a kidney, but – again – _Talon_ could handle that, as well, and better than he could. He helped where he knew it was needed; stitching up the more serious of gashes – including a vicious one that ran along her ribcage, which she wouldn't have received if she'd been wearing a Kevlar vest, he noted – and then putting icepacks against the more dangerous of the bruises and putting her to bed in a private – and quiet – room off to the side of the infirmary.

Then he went out into the main infirmary where Weir was waiting with a small contingent of others – including Kale, Sheppard, Ford and McKay. They all stood when he approached them, and Beckett's expression was enough to keep them from being too concerned. The doctor was calm, and didn't look worried, which told them that the Colonel's injuries weren't serious.

"How is she, Doctor?" Weir asked.

"She's still unconscious, but I don't see any injury that's too serious. Nothing Talon can't handle. She should be fine in a couple of days."

"This is my fault," Kale said, shaking his head. "I will have to come up with a better way of landing her…"

"It wasn't your fault," Sheppard said. "I bet neither of you thought she was going to go crashing through that window – which makes it an _accident_."

Weir nodded; she'd heard the story a few times, now, and while she wished they would have thought it through a bit more before actually trying out the harness, she was of the same opinion.

"Accidents happen, Kale. Especially around _here_," she added with a little ruefulness. "That's why we have Doctor Beckett, after all." She smiled at Carson, who shrugged.

"She'll be out a couple days?" Sheppard asked.

Beckett nodded.

"Maybe more – but I doubt it."

"Then we can help her out by trying to figure out a better way for her to land, while you get her healthy again." He looked at McKay and Kale. "There must be something we can rig up. The harness seems to be working great."

McKay nodded.

"I'm sure we can – as long as someone else tests it."

Weir smiled, and looked at Kale.

"Are you going to stay here, Kale? Or would you like for us to gate you back to your home until Colonel Mitchell heals up?"

"If I'm welcomed, I'll stay."

"You're welcomed to stay, Kale," Weir told him.

"We'll get Melony healed as quickly as we can…" Beckett said, unable to suppress the stab of annoyance that the Light One was going to remain when he wasn't needed. It wasn't that he didn't like Kale… it was just that he… well… he didn't like Kale close to Melony. The quicker she was healed, the sooner she'd be done with Kale, and things could go back to what they were.

"Can I see Colonel Mitchell?" Kale asked, unaware what Beckett was thinking.

"She's unconscious and needs her rest," he said. "It'll probably be a day or so before she's ready for visitors. Maybe more."

"We'll go work on a better landing system, then," Sheppard said, looking at the others.

"I'd better get back to my patient."

Without looking back, Beckett went back towards the private room.

"He doesn't like me," Kale said, watching the doctor leave.

"Sure he does," John said, smiling. "He's just got a lot on his mind." He slapped the Light One on the back, and headed for the door. Kale watched them both, not looking at all reassured, but Weir touched his arm and caught his attention.

"Why don't we go get some lunch? I'd love to hear more about your people."

"It would be my pleasure," Kale said, offering her his arm.


	25. 25

It was several hours before Mitchell opened her eyes, and when she did, she found herself in bed and sore – inside and out.

_Don't make any sudden movements, okay?_

Yeah.

Talon gave her a quick reminder of what had happened, and Melony couldn't help but shake her head.

Birds don't have very good braking systems, do they?

_Nope. We'll have to work on that_

She agreed, but before she could even start thinking about it, the door to the room she was in opened, and Carson walked in, his serious face lighting up a bit when he noticed her eyes were open.

"You're awake. Good…"

He came over and sat down beside her bed, and reached for her hand to take her pulse.

"How long was I out?"

"A few hours."

"How long will I be in bed?"

"A couple of days – unless Talon is quicker than I expect him to be."

_A couple of days_, Talon confirmed.

"Crap."

"You took a nasty fall," Carson said, reaching out and touching her cheek. "It could have been a lot worse, you know."

"Yeah." She supposed she could have rolled off the balcony and fallen the however many hundred feet into the water below. That probably would have sucked. "My harness didn't get damaged, did it?"

Carson shrugged.

"You'll have to ask Major Sheppard," he said. "Later." He added, when she started to open her mouth again, almost definitely prepared to ask him to go get the Major right then and there. "Right now, you need rest, and I don't want you moving around a lot. I stitched up the deepest of the gashes and I don't want you tearing them."

"Yes, Sir."

It was only slightly mocking, and Carson couldn't help but smile. He leaned over and kissed her, softly, feeling all the worries and concerns about their relationship fly out the window in that simple contact.

She brought her hand up to cup his cheek, holding him lightly in place for a moment as they kissed, and when he pulled away it was only an inch or so. His eyes met hers, and they both smiled. Melony ran her fingers along his beard, enjoying his nearness and thinking that maybe now would be the best time to tell him that she loved him.

"Carson…"

"Hmmm?"

He ran his fingers lightly through her short blonde hair, his eyes never leaving hers. Maybe he should tell her how he felt? Would she feel the same way? She was so beautiful, and so perfect, and he wanted her love so much that it actually hurt-

"Oops!"

The door behind them had swooshed open, and John Sheppard had entered the room, interrupting what was obviously a private moment. He stopped, unable to figure out a way to leave unnoticed – especially now that Beckett had practically jumped out of his skin at being startled by his sudden arrival. Looking more than a little chagrined, and apologetic, he gave them a slightly embarrassed smile.

"Um… sorry."

"It's okay," Carson said, blushing brilliantly. "I was just… uh…" He couldn't think of anything. "What did you need Major?"

John's smile turned wry.

"I was coming to ask you how Colonel Mitchell was, Doctor. But I can see she's… _better_."

Melony snickered, unable to help herself. They'd been so _busted_! Like a couple kids necking in the woods after a party.

"I _am_ better, Major," she told him, trying to sit up further in her bed, but finding herself held down against the pillows with a hand between her breasts.

_Don't move so much, Hot Shot_, Talon told her at the same time Carson held her still. _I'm not ready for you to be sitting up just yet._

"Don't move, Melony. Not for a little while, at least." Carson added at the same time.

Bah.

_It's just for the rest of the day. Maybe some of tomorrow_

Sheppard smiled, glad it wasn't him stuck in bed.

"I'll go let Doctor Weir and the others know you're… _better_."

"You do that, Major," Melony told him, "But then bring me my laptop, will you? If I'm going to be stuck here, I might as well get some things taken care of."

"Yes, Ma'am." He turned and reached for the door control. "I'll leave you two to your… um… amusements, shall I?" And without waiting for an answer, he let, the door closing behind him.

Carson realized he still had his hand on Melony, his fingers just between her breasts, able to feel the soft swelling beneath the scrubs they'd put her in without actually _fondling_ her or anything. He moved his hand reluctantly, and Melony smiled.

"The doors need locks," she said, resisting the urge to reach out and put his hand back where it had been.

"Aye."

He leaned over and brushed another kiss against her lips, but the moment had passed, and they both knew it. Sheppard would be back – who knew when – with her laptop, and neither of them wanted to get caught in the compromising position again.

"You should probably get some rest."

She nodded. She was tired, after all, even though she'd been distracted from that quite nicely. She reached out and caught his hand, bringing it up to hold against her cheek as she closed her eyes, letting him know without words that she wanted him to stay with her.

He brushed her cheek with his fingertips before moving his hand and taking hers and sitting back down in his chair. He didn't have anything pressing to do and he had no desire to be anywhere but where he was.

"You and I need to have a talk," he murmured softly to her.

She nodded, but didn't open her eyes, already being lulled back to sleep by his touch and Talon's gentle ministrations.

"Soon…" she mumbled.

But it wasn't going to be just then.


	26. 26

Much to his annoyance, Carson didn't get to have that talk with her as soon as he'd hoped – which meant while she was still flat on her back and where he could find her.

By the time she was awake again, and feeling a little better than she had, Sheppard had delivered her laptop, and Melony was ready to get back to work. Her seemingly single-minded search for the perfect planet to use as a hideaway from the Wraith was taking all her time and energy, and she didn't have time to talk to him. Although he noted with a scowl, she had plenty of time to talk to Kale when he came in to check on her. The Light One had apologized to her for the terrible landing, but Mitchell had brushed that aside, telling him she was fine – which _wasn't_ true – and that she'd be ready to set out in a couple of days – which _was_ true.

Carson had wanted to tell her she needed to take a break, but it wasn't true, really. She was already in bed, and she wasn't straining herself, and Talon could take care of her just as well now that the initial danger was over with her working on her laptop as he could with her relaxing and talking to Kale. He just wanted her to be talking to him, damn it! Of course, it never occurred to him that she'd have put it all aside if he'd asked her to. He didn't have that much faith in her, or in her feelings for him, and that one sweet interrupted moment aside, he had no idea what she felt for him – and was afraid that if he asked her to stop her planning long enough to talk to him, she'd tell him no and break his heart.

If she loved him, she'd know _instinctively_ that he needed to talk to her, right?

So that day passed, and he alternated between pouting and sulking, and was short tempered with his staff and those around him, and didn't go anywhere near Melony, sending a medic in to change the bandages and double check how well she was healing. He alternated between hurt and angry as he waited for her to send for him to finish the conversation that they'd started earlier. And grew more hurt and angry when the summons never came.

By the time evening came and she had been told by Talon and a medic that it was time to rest, Melony was wondering why Carson was avoiding her, and Carson was in a state of irritation, jealousy and hurt that he'd never been in before. He spent the night in his quarters, staring at the walls and ceiling, and Melony spent the night in her hospital room, wishing she could send someone for him, but fairly certain that if he wanted to see her, he'd stop by.

It was not a restful evening for either of them, and the next day things weren't any better.

OOOOOOOO

"We can probably leave these bandages off, Colonel…" the medic told her as he was checking her the next morning. The worst of the cuts were the ones Talon had been focusing on, and because he didn't have any internal injuries to work on as well, the gashes were healing nicely. The smaller cuts were still red and sore, but they would be taken care of as soon as Talon had a chance, so Melony wasn't worried. "Wounds need fresh air to heal, too."

"Seems I've heard that somewhere," Melony said, watching as he slathered antibiotics on the half-healed gash on her side.

"You've heard it because it's _true_," the medic said with a smile, finishing up and helping her lower her shirt once more. "Try not to move around too much, but you're really doing quite nicely."

"Thank you."

He nodded, and told her he'd bring her some breakfast, which made Mitchell once more wonder where Carson was.

_You could send someone for him_

He's not my personal servant, Talon. If he wanted to see me, he'd come. Maybe he's too busy.

_Or maybe he's waiting for you to send someone for him…_

"Why would he do that?"

_To see if you want to see him?_

She snorted, and shook her head.

That's a game children play. Not adults. If he wants me, he knows where to find me. He's probably trying to wean me away from his care or something.

_I don't know, Hot Shot… he seems fairly taken with you_

If he were, he'd be here. It's probably a good thing I didn't tell him that I loved him, huh? Who knows what kind of mess that'd have brought on?

Talon didn't seem so convinced, but when Mitchell reached for her laptop once more, the symbiote was just as distracted from the problem as the host was, both of them eager to find the perfect planet to start their search with. They stopped only when the medic brought her some breakfast, and continued their searching as soon as she'd finished eating, and once more Melony asked for Kale to be sent to her room, since she needed his input when it came to the planets they'd be going to – he was going as well, after all, and she didn't want him left out of any information he might need. Besides, he'd know better than she would if the planet was someplace he could fly her around, since she hadn't thought of the perpetual rain on planet A-20 as something that might interfere with his flying – although he'd said it would, and the atmosphere on A-08 was possibly too thin higher up so it might be dangerous for her to go that high.

The Light One was more than willing to join her, and he and Melony sat in her room for hours that day, once more poring through mission files, while Carson watched from the other end of the infirmary, waiting for the alien to leave her alone, and growing more and more angry and jealous when he didn't.

"I should get some rest," Kale finally said, stretching.

Melony looked at her watch and realized that he'd been with her all afternoon and most of the evening. He was probably tired and hungry and she wondered why none of the medical staff had interrupted with a reminder that she needed to eat.

"I'm sorry, Kale…"

The Light One shook his head, smiling.

"Don't be. I don't mind doing this – and it's important that we find you a suitable planet. But I am ready to take a break – perhaps for the evening?"

"Of course. I'll see you in the morning."

Kale stood up and stretched once more.

"Would you like me to bring you something to eat?"

Since he'd done way more for her than she thought she deserved, she shook her head.

"I'm not hungry just yet, thanks. You have a good night."

"I shall. Perhaps I'll go see what Elizabeth is doing…"

Melony grinned.

"You do that. Tell her I said hi."

The Light One nodded, and left, and Melony stretched carefully, feeling the tug of several rows of stitches. They were starting to itch, which meant they were healing, but it was still annoying. She lifted up her shirt, exposing the cut on her side. It was a little red, but looked pretty good to her.

_Thank you_

Thank _you_. She countered, smiling. You do good work.

The door opened just then, and Carson walked in, looking annoyed, and strained, and fairly tired. She wondered what he'd been up to to make him look that way. He closed the door, and opened the little panel that covered the door mechanism, pulled out a crystal looking thing and tossed it to the side. Melony thought it might have been a control device, and she realized he'd just 'locked' the door.

"We're going to talk," Carson told her. "And you're going to listen."


	27. 27

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: THIS CHAPTER IS A HIGHER THAN PG-13 RATING… THERE ARE DEFINITELY ADULT SITUATIONS IN THIS ONE, SO DON'T LET THE KIDS READ IT UNTIL YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO PREVIEW IT YOURSELF._

OOOOOOOOOOo

Before leaving for Atlantis, each member of the expedition had been told they were allowed to bring one personal item. Carson hadn't been able to think of anything to bring. His only real love was medicine, and since that wasn't a personal item, he was allowed to bring everything medical related that he wanted to – anything he thought he might need, which had been a lot of things. But still he had a personal item to fill, and finally he'd taken the advice of one of his fellow doctors and had just decided on a bottle of scotch whiskey. A big bottle – and the absolute best money could buy. Why not? It wasn't like he was going to have anything to be spending his paychecks on while he was off world, after all, so he might as well splurge while he could.

The entire time he'd been in Atlantis, he'd yet to find a reason to open it, until that afternoon. He'd waited for Kale to leave, and he hadn't. Had waited for Melony to show some sign of wanting to talk to him, and she hadn't. Had broken out the bottle, determined that the moment she was alone, he was going to talk to her and tell her how he felt – about her, and about her and Kale – but to do that, he'd also decided that he might need some liquid courage. Not a lot, just enough to keep him from becoming tongue-tied like he usually did when he was trying to talk to her. So he'd gone across the hall to his quarters and had taken a shot of it. Then had returned a short while later to take another when it was becoming apparent that Kale still wasn't leaving. And had taken another couple while he waited.

By the time the Light One finally _did_ leave, Carson wasn't drunk, but he was pleasantly buzzed and had more than enough courage to go in and talk to her.

Mitchell didn't know he'd been drinking, of course, but she had recognized the difference in his tone immediately. It wasn't the words he spoke – which were really words that she'd wanted to hear from him – it was how he'd said them, and she was instantly put on the defensive.

"Carson…"

"I don't like him," Beckett said, coming over and standing by her bed, looking down at her. God, she was beautiful.

"Who?"

"Kale. Naked Boy."

She frowned.

"You don't like him? Why not?"

"He's always spending time with you."

"Because he's helping me."

Oh sure. It sounded so reasonable when she put it like that.

"_I_ could help you."

"You can't fly."

"I don't like him being with you."

What the hell?

"I'm sorry you feel that way… but I need his help, and I'm grateful he's willing to help me."

"So you're going to keep seeing him?"

"Seeing him?"

"Stop repeating everything I say, damn it!"

"Then try making sense," she told him, scowling.

He recognized the anger in her expression and realized that he wasn't saying it right, and if he wasn't careful he was going to ruin everything. He'd planned it in his head what he was going to say, but it had all escaped him, and he was improvising. And doing a lousy job of it.

"I don't want you to see him."

"So you've said," she replied. "But, like I just told you, I need his help, and until you learn how to fly, I'm going to."

"He's an alien!"

"So?"

"So, he's not right for you."

"What are you talking about?"

"You and him!"

"Me and him…?" Now she was thoroughly confused, but Beckett took her confusion as hesitation, and reacted badly to it.

"Don't play stupid, Melony. I've seen the two of you together. How you laugh with him, and how he runs around naked all the time. How could you not fall for him? But he's not right for you, he's-"

"You think I'm _sleeping_ with him?" She interrupted, finally getting it.

"No. You _sleep_ with me," he told her, getting red-faced. "I think you're _having sex_ with him."

_Oh, brother_

No shit.

She was completely at a loss.

"Carson-"

"No. You can't be with him, Melony! Don't you understand? I love you. _Me_. I _need_ you, and I want you, and I ache for you so badly that it's killing me to see you with him."

He loved her? Despite the anger in his voice – and the frustration and the wild look in his eyes, she started to smile.

"I'm not _with_ him, Carson," she said, shaking her head. "I'm just – he's just helping me. We're not-"

"Prove it."

The smile faded immediately.

"What?"

"You heard me," he said. "Prove it. Let me love you."

There was no mistaking what he meant by that, and Melony suddenly found herself feeling cornered. Talon reacted to that immediately.

_Melony, no…_

"But-"

"Either you love me or you don't," Carson told her, sitting down on the edge of her bed, his eyes intently watching hers.

"I do love you…"

"Then show me," he said, reaching for her. "Prove it."

She pulled back, uncertainly. She wasn't one to be pressed into anything she wasn't ready for, and whatever else she felt for him – and she did love him – she wasn't positive she was ready for that.

_You're not. Not like this_

Carson drew back the moment she pulled away; his eyes agonized as he reacted to her reaction. Certain that she'd just shown him exactly how she felt about him.

"You don't love me, then…"

"I _do_," she said, faltering. "I just…"

"You can sleep with _him_ but not me?"

"I've never-"

"Prove it!"

She flinched, her mind completely numb with the sudden turn of events. This was not what she'd expected at all. Prove it? Her hand shaking, she reached for the hem of her shirt.

_Melony…_

It's what he wants, she answered. Then he'll know… right?

She didn't wait for his reply; she simply closed her eyes, and pulled her shirt over her head. And felt Beckett's arms come around her almost instantly, his hands caressing her eagerly, his voice in her ear, telling her he loved her as he pressed her down onto the bed once more. She kept her eyes closed as she felt him removing the rest of her clothing, and when he parted her legs and pressed against her, she moaned softly, almost like a wounded animal as he entered her, claiming what he wanted so desperately, what he thought he needed from her more than anything. A few eager thrusts and he was already close to his climax, and a moment later he grunted, burying his head between her shoulder and neck as he finished, his voice worshipping her, his hands caressing her, and his body possessing her, completely unaware that the shaking he was feeling from her had absolutely nothing to do with love or release.

He rolled off her, and pulled her into his arms.

"I love you," he whispered, holding her tightly.

She didn't reply, but he didn't need her to. She'd shown him what he needed to know, and satisfied that she loved him back, he fell asleep beside her.

Waiting until she was sure that he was asleep, Melony slipped out of his arms and gathered her clothes. Shaking so hard that she could barely stand, she dressed, but she couldn't focus enough to look for the crystal that Carson had pulled out of the door control. Talon finally took over, gently insinuating himself into the controlling role between the two – something he rarely did, but that she needed desperately just then. He found the control crystal, and replaced it in the door, then palmed it open and left the room. He walked across the empty infirmary and took Melony back to her quarters where he stayed in control while she showered, dabbing a wet cloth against the cuts that had been reopened until the bleeding stopped, and then he put her to bed. Only then, when he was certain that she couldn't fall and hurt herself, did he relinquish control to her, and even then he stayed right with her, supporting her when she started to cry softly into her pillow.

He loved her like that even as she cried herself to sleep, and continued to murmur assurances to her long after she wasn't listening to him.


	28. 28

When Carson Beckett woke up, he was half hung over and completely confused. His mouth was dry and tasted like he'd tried to eat a sweater, and he was thirsty, grumpy, and his head was pounding. And he was completely alone when he was vaguely aware that he shouldn't have been. He frowned, sitting up and rubbing his head as he looked around, trying to gather in enough wit to figure out what the heck had happened. He was in Melony's bed in the infirmary room and – oh, Jesus, he'd slept with her. No, not _slept_ with her, because he'd slept with her before; he'd made love to her.

He felt a surge of elation as the memory grabbed him, but it dampened considerably when he realized that she wasn't with him, and there was no sign of her. Then the elation was squashed completely when he started replaying the scene from the night before in his head. Not the sex part, because while he was aware that that had happened, it wasn't the memory that kept popping into his mind, but the way he'd talked himself into her bed in the first place. _Forced_ himself into it, basically, he realized with a frown. Had he really told her to prove it? _Him_? What had he been thinking? _He_ wasn't the kind of guy that-

"Doctor?"

He jerked his attention to the door, where one very confused corpsman was standing. Looking down at himself, Carson was relieved to find that he was covered, because he also realized he was completely naked.

"Yes?" He asked, trying to make it seem like it was perfectly natural he should be in one of the infirmary beds and not his own. Hadn't he locked the door somewhere along the line?

"I was just looking for Colonel Mitchell… to check her injuries…"

"She's not here," he said, stupidly. Duh, of course she wasn't there. What? Did she dive under the bed when the door opened? "I'll find her later and check them, Robbins."

Only when the medic had left, closing the door behind him, did Carson realize that he had blood smeared in spots against his belly and chest – and he wasn't bleeding. What the hell had he done? And where was Melony? He needed to check on her; needed to make sure she was all right, and certainly needed to apologize for what had happened. That wasn't how he'd intended things to go – and certainly it hadn't been the best declaration of love in the history of mankind.

"Oh, God… what have I done?"

He dragged himself out of the bed, and reached for his clothes. He had to find her and see what damage had been done, and how he could repair it.

OOOOOOOO

When Melony woke up it was to the very gentle murmurings of Talon inside her head. The symbiote had known when she was waking, and rather than keep her asleep so she wouldn't have to face the day and the memories of what had happened, he'd decided that he'd remind her as she woke just how much he loved her. And Talon _did_ love her. Loved her more and more every day, and with each passing hour, and wasn't afraid to share that with her, since he knew she already knew it anyways. Knew it and reciprocated that love just as readily. So her first waking thought was of love, unconditional, warm, ever-present love.

Which was good, because her next thoughts were memories of the night before and what had happened to drive her out of the bed in the infirmary and back to her own quarters. Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered the wild look in Carson's eyes when he'd told her that she needed to prove to him that she loved him. Needed to prove to him that it wasn't Kale she was interested in – _loved_ – but him. She stifled a sob, and hugged her pillow close to herself, feeling aches that she hadn't felt in a long time as she moved in the bed.

_Easy, love…_

Had he ever called her that before? Melony's attention was turned from her inner turmoil to Talon, and she could feel a simmering anger underlying the symbiote's soothing presence. But not directed at _her_, thank God, because she certainly deserved his anger just then.

_No, you don't_

You tried to warn me, and I wouldn't listen.

_You were doing what you thought you had to, Melony. I couldn't have stopped you short of taking over, and you know I'd never do that without a good reason_

"From now on, you _should_," she told him, putting her head back down into the pillow, her face buried in it so she had to switch from speaking aloud to silent communication. You couldn't have done any worse than I just did.

Her heart felt as shattered as that window she'd nose-dived through the other day.

_I would have tossed him out the door,_ Talon told her. _And Atlantis would have lost its finest doctor_

She sighed, because she knew that was true. And she knew that Talon was seriously tempted to go find said doctor and do just that – only this time off a balcony somewhere. She was grateful to him. Not because he was ready to defend her virtue – which didn't quite apply in this case since she hadn't been a virgin – but because she knew he loved her so much that if she asked him to, he _would_ take over and would dump Carson over a balcony if it would make her feel better. Which it wouldn't – although in this case it was definitely the thought that counted. She rolled over and dragged herself out of bed, again reliving the aches for just a moment, before Talon dulled them so she wouldn't be reminded of where she'd received them.

"We have work to do," she said, heading for the bathroom. She needed a shower, no matter how much else she had to do. She felt dirty. Or tainted, maybe…

OOOOOOOO

It was forty-five minutes later when she walked out of her quarters. She had a cup of coffee in her hand and a destination in mind. Not the _infirmary_, either. She'd never go near there again if she had any say in the matter. She was looking for Kale, and Sheppard, who'd said something about him and McKay working on a better way to brake on landings. She wanted to know if they'd come up with something yet, and if they had, she wanted to test it. Then she wanted to get the hell off Atlantis and get to work. Something to take her mind off other things that just wouldn't stop replaying in her head.

Unsure where to start looking for them – she couldn't seem to really concentrate on anything just then – she headed for the commissary, figuring that if nothing else, she might find someone who had seen one of the three she needed to talk to. And ran right into McKay as she was turning the corner.

"Jesus, McKay, I'm sorry…"

Rodney sighed, looking down at the front of his crisp freshly washed uniform – which was now covered in hot, steaming coffee from having her spill all over him. He pulled the shirt away from his chest and belly, blowing on the fabric to cool the coffee quicker. There wasn't much he could do about the wetness.

"Oh, no problem, Colonel Mitchell. I was _hoping_ for a caffeine bath this morning and you just saved me the effort of brewing my own coffee."

"Did you get burned?" She asked, ignoring the sarcasm, since she pretty much deserved it this time.

He shook his head, realizing that he wasn't burned, and didn't need to use his best grumpiness with her and could save it for a different time when he _was_. Besides, she looked troubled, and he didn't think it was just because she'd spilled her coffee on him – unless it was fresh and she was upset about wasting it.

"I'm fine," he told her. "Has Beckett released you from the infirmary, then? Good. We've figure out your braking problem, if you've got time to come test it out…?"

She nodded.

"I was hoping to find you to ask you about that."

"Well, accompany me to my room so I can change, and I'll tell you all about it. Then we'll go gather up Major Sheppard and find Kale, and see if we can't keep you from rejoining Doctor Beckett in the infirmary, shall we?"

If her agreement was a little more intense than he'd expected, Rodney assumed it was simply his imagination. Everyone knew that Beckett and Mitchell had some kind of romance going on, after all, and she'd probably love a chance to get back to the infirmary. But he didn't mention that – and wouldn't – because she was one of the few people in the city that he not only respected (because of her brains – which were as close to his as he was going to find here) and feared (because not everyone could wipe out the Goa'uld, after all) but because he actually _liked_ her (because she was just as cocky as he was and not inclined to hide the fact that in her field, she was the tops).

"Let's go."

Melony drank down the little remaining coffee in her cup, and turned to go with McKay.


	29. 29

"Really, it was so simple," Rodney called a few minutes later as Melony waited in the sitting area of his quarters while he was in his bedroom changing, "I'm surprised you didn't think of it yourself."

"What's that?" She asked, curiously.

He came out of the bedroom, looking a lot drier than he'd gone in looking – although he still looked just as smug. He tossed her the personal shield device that he'dset up for her awhile back.

Mitchell caught it reflexively, and stared down at it, feeling completely stupid – and feeling Talon's chagrin as well.

Why didn't we think of that?

_Well… I always wanted to know how you'd look going through a glass window, myself…_

She stifled a chuckle, although she didn't bother to hide the grin. The first one of the morning.

"If you're wearing that, it doesn't matter what you crash into," McKay told her, needlessly. "You won't get hurt, even if it's a brick wall."

"Why didn't I think of that?"

McKay shrugged, looking – if possible – even more smug than he had a moment before.

"No clue. Major Sheppard said your harness wasn't damaged in your fall, so it's ready to go whenever you're ready – if you'd care to test this theory?"

"Definitely."

She palmed the device, and her and Rodney left his quarters, heading for the command area where they were relatively certain they'd find Sheppard, and hopefully, Kale.

OOOOOO

"Colonel Mitchell," Weir greeted her as the two entered the upstairs area of the command center. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, Doctor Weir," Melony said, "Thank you."

Weir didn't think she looked all that fine. There was a bleakness to her expression that she hadn't seen there before – or not since after she'd arrived in Atlantis, maybe.

"Doctor Beckett released you from the infirmary?"

Mitchell shrugged, "More or less. Have you seen Major Sheppard? Or Kale?"

"Major Sheppard is right behind you," a cheerful voice said from behind her as Weir reddened slightly for no reason at all. Melony turned, and saw Sheppard walking over. "It's good to see you're out of bed. Did McKay tell you about the idea we had?"

Mitchell nodded.

"I was hoping to try it out. Are you interested in watching?"

"Promise not to crash into me?"

"Yeah."

"Then I'd _love_ to."

"All we're missing now, is Kale," Rodney said. "Can't do much without hi-"

The door swooshed open and Ford entered with Kale beside him, the Light One dressed in his ill-fitting clothing and smiling at whatever it was that the Lieutenant had just said. His smile widened when he saw Mitchell.

"Colonel! It is good to see you are up and about. How do you feel?"

"I'm fine, Kale," Melony said, giving him the best smile she could muster. It wasn't his fault she was in the middle of an emotional backlash that she hadn't felt the likes of in forever, and she wasn't going to make him deal with it. None of them. "I'm interested in trying out the Ancient's shielding device, if you're willing to give it another go?"

"Of course. When?"

"The sooner the better. I'd like to get the plan in motion now that we have a few destinations in mind – at least once we can make sure I'm not going to crash and burn every time you need to drop me."

The Light One smiled and nodded.

"I am ready whenever you are."

"I'll get your harness and meet you at the same place as last time," Sheppard said, heading out of the room as soon as Melony nodded.

"Well, let's go see what we can find out…"

The rest of them headed for the door.

OOOOOOOO

"Major Sheppard!"

John stopped when he heard his name, and shifted the harness to the other shoulder. It wasn't all that heavy, but it was bulky and awkward to carry. He turned and saw Carson Beckett coming down the hall, eyes on the harness he was holding.

"Yeah?"

"Have you seen Colonel Mitchell?"

Wondering why the doctor looked so uncomfortable asking such a simple question, Sheppard nodded.

"She was just in the command center and now is on the way up to one of the observation balconies to give the harness another try. That's where I'm heading."

Carson hesitated. He wanted to talk to Melony, but he didn't want to do it in front of a crowd.

"Uh… just tell her that I need to see her, will you? When she's finished with the test? I'll be in the infirmary…"

"Well, you might see her sooner than you expect to – if the device we're using doesn't do what McKay think it will." Sheppard told him cheerfully. He really wasn't worried about it this time. He'd seen what the shielding devices could do, after all.

"It's important, Major," Beckett told him. "Please don't forget."

Sheppard frowned; wondering why he didn't just come with him and watch – then he could talk to her after that. But he shrugged.

"I won't forget."

Beckett turned and headed back the way he'd come, and Sheppard went on his way, shifting the harness once more and smiling in anticipation. If it worked out, he might give the harness a go himself sometime, because the thing looked like a kick – not as great as flying and being in the control seat, but it had certainly looked like fun when he'd been watching Mitchell. Right up until the whole flying through the window thing.

OOOOOOOOO

"I just saw Doctor Beckett," Sheppard said a few minutes later as he handed over Mitchell's harness to her. She paled slightly and dropped the shielding device in her hand.

"Damn it."

Reaching down to pick it up, she hid her reaction as well as she could.

"What did he want?"

Sheppard wasn't the only one to notice the reaction, but none of the others said anything – although Weir tossed a look over at Ford, who knew Melony best of the group, to ask him silently if he knew what that had been all about. Ford correctly interpreted the questioning look, and shrugged; he didn't have a clue.

"He said he needed to talk to you – and that it was important," John told her, watching as she got the harness on and tightened all the straps and buckles carefully.

"He _did_ release you from the infirmary, didn't he Colonel?" Weir asked.

"Not in so many words," she admitted, jumping on that as an excuse for her reaction. "But I'm fine, and Talon agrees. We're ready to get going."

She pressed the shielding device between her breasts and it glowed green with activation. Satisfied, Melony turned to Kale, who had already undressed in anticipation of the need to transform.

"Ready?"

The Light One nodded, and a moment later the large bird was there.

"Aim for the _stone_ wall this time," McKay said as Kale launched himself into the air and wheeled about to give himself a little altitude and a quick warm up before heading back to snatch her from the balcony. The remains of the shattered glass wall had been removed, and now there was a gaping hole where before there'd been a large window.

"I'll do my best," Mitchell said, sarcastically.

She moved to the edge of the balcony, and made sure the loops were in a good position for Kale to grab them. Then braced herself as he came screaming in, giving a shriek of warning. The others backed against the stone wall, giving them all the room they needed, and Kale grabbed her from the balcony with a quick jerk.

_Here we go…_


	30. 30

"Just toss me onto the balcony, Kale!" Melony shouted as loud as she could so the Light One could hear her over the beating of his wings. There was a piercing cry from the bird – and probably a bit of hesitation – but Melony was pretty sure that this was going to work fairly well. As long as he actually managed to get her onto the balcony. She wasn't sure if the Ancient's device would cushion a fall all the way to the water – it was a long ways down, after all.

_Want to find out?_

Not right now.

A moment later they were fast approaching the balcony, and there was a quick jerk as Kale flared his wings, slowing his glide a bit before he swung his talons forward, releasing her in mid wing-beat and doing just what she'd told him to do – tossing her at the balcony. Mitchell landed more or less on her feet, and then went tumbling as the momentum threw her forward, and she slammed into the stone wall at an incredible speed that certainly would have knocked her into next week had it been regular circumstances. She rocked back, slamming to the concrete (or whatever it was) floor, and lay still, stunned.

_You're not hurt_

No, she agreed. Try not to sound so _surprised_, okay?

"Colonel!"

She looked up as the others rushed over to her, awed by the force in which she'd slammed into the wall. Hands were grabbing her, some holding her down and others trying to pull her to her feet.

"Are you all right?" Weir asked.

Mitchell nodded, moving her arms and legs experimentally, just to make sure. Not even a bruise – besides what was already there.

"I'm fine."

She looked at McKay and Sheppard.

"Good idea, guys."

Kale came swooshing in for a landing as the others dragged her clear so he'd have room, and the Light One transformed and came over to kneel by her, worried.

"Are you injured?"

She shook her head.

"It worked just like it was supposed to."

"Thank God," Weir said, looking at the wall she'd crashed into.

Melony smiled, slightly.

"You had your doubts?"

"Of course not."

Uh huh.

"So… what now?" Sheppard asked as he pulled Melony to her feet and she deactivated the shielding device with a quick thought. It dropped into her palm and she started removing the harness.

"Now we're ready to start."

_Not today, though,_ Talon told her.

Why not? It works great.

_Because you're not at 100 percent, and I'm not going to let you go out there until your injuries are more healed_

She frowned, but had to admit that now that the exhilaration of the flight, and the relief that the shielding device had worked had worn off a little, she was feeling the aches from her crash through the glass. Maybe another day of rest wouldn't kill her.

"Today?" Kale asked, looking at the sun as if to see how much daylight they had. It was still fairly early, he knew, although it was taking him a bit to get used to the longer days they had on Atlantis.

"No," Mitchell said, ruefully, rubbing her side where the worst of the cuts from earlier was bothering her more than she'd admit to anyone but Talon. "I'm not at full health, yet. Tomorrow morning, if you don't mind the wait?"

Kale shook his head, smiling.

"Not at all."

"You've picked out the planets you're going to start with?" Sheppard asked.

Melony nodded, and handed the harness over to Ford, who took it and slung it over his shoulder. She wasn't above taking advantage of the fact that he was younger and in better health than she was, after all. He could carry it for her.

"We'll start at the beginning of the list of possibilities, and work our way down them numerically until we find one I can use."

"Then what?"

"Then I find a Wraith who has a dart that I can steal from him, figure out the technology on it, and then turn it to my own uses so I can find a way to finish them off…"

"Oh, is _that_ all…?" McKay said, sarcastically. Of course, he and the others already knew what her long termed plan was, so it wasn't a big surprise – it just sounded a lot more daunting when it was put that way.

She smiled.

"I'm going to go back to my quarters and go back to bed. If anyone needs me, come find me."

"Don't forget that Beckett wants to see you," Sheppard reminded her. He did, after all, make it sound like it was important.

Melony nodded, her expression suddenly guarded.

"I haven't forgotten, Major. Thanks." She looked at Kale. "I'm sorry to leave you alone again…"

The Light One smiled, reassuringly to her.

"Do not concern yourself, Colonel Mitchell. I will find something to do to pass the time." He looked at Weir, who suddenly was taken by the view from the balcony. "It's more important that you are feeling better."

Melony nodded, too distracted to wonder if anything was going on between Weir and Kale. It didn't seem that there could be, since Elizabeth had made it plain to Melony a while back that she was happily engaged, but you never knew. Something about the Light Ones just exuded sexual attraction, and it didn't help that they were so open about such things.

_Come on, Hot Shot,_ Talon told her. _We'd better get you to bed_

"I'll see you all later," she said, nodding a farewell. "Don't lose that, Lieutenant." She added, gesturing to the harness.

Ford smiled and shook his head.

"No, ma'am. I'll put it in the supply room."

She left them and headed back to her room, while the others dispersed behind her, and stopped just long enough at the commissary to get something to take back to her room with her. She was hungry, but didn't want to stay out in the open too long. Not only because she wanted rest, but also because she didn't want to run into Carson Beckett. She didn't want to see him, and certainly wasn't going to respond to the summons that he'd sent along with Sheppard.

_No, you're not_

There was still a definite underlying simmering of anger in Talon's 'voice' and Melony was grateful that he wasn't chiding her about avoiding the doctor.

_You have other things to worry about right now_, he told her in response to the thought. _Besides, I'd be too tempted to hurt him if he came close to you_

Melony felt like crying – both because there was no mistaking that Talon meant what he said and was completely behind her, but also because of the necessity of it. This was not how she'd expected things to be between her and Carson, and it hurt.

She choked down her breakfast because Talon bullied her into it, and then slid into bed and pulled her pillow close, hugging it tightly as she allowed her symbiote to lull her to sleep so he could heal her faster.


	31. 31

As the others all wandered away to their Weir hung back with Kale. She'd grown rather used to him being with her as she went about her duties the last couple of days. He had a very likeable personality, was extremely interesting to talk to, and was always interested in whatever she happened to be doing – and in her – which Weir found rather flattering, she had to admit.

The Light One looked down at her, his gaze questioning.

"You have things to do?" He asked her.

She nodded, smiling a little self-consciously.

"There's always something I'm supposed to be doing…"

Kale took a step closer to her, reaching out and taking her hand.

"I have enjoyed the time we've spent together, Elizabeth. I just wanted to thank you for allowing me to be with you."

She flushed, despite herself, but couldn't pull her eyes away from his.

"You're acting as if you're going away…"

He smiled, and shrugged, "Once Colonel Mitchell is ready to start exploring the planets on her list, chances are I won't be around too much – and I wanted to let you know how much I appreciated you spending so much time with me. You've really made me feel at home."

"I'm glad. We're happy to have you with us, Kale. Your people are so interesting… so different from my own…"

"We have many similarities, though," he told her, and there was no denying what he was talking about. Weir felt her cheeks redden again.

"I have a fiancé…"

"I know." His free hand came up, the back of his fingertips brushing lightly against her cheek, and Elizabeth felt her knees tremble slightly. She didn't know if all the Light Ones were like Kale, but he was attractive to her in ways that she couldn't help feeling. "I only desire the sharing of pleasures, Elizabeth," Kale murmured, his voice husky. "I'm not asking for a commitment."

She took a shuddering breath, closing her eyes as his hand went lower, brushing against her collarbone, and his hand released hers, his arm coming around her lightly, loosely, allowing her the option of drawing back or pressing closer. She felt far too warm, suddenly, but couldn't step away from him. She'd missed this kind of touch… forgotten how good it could feel to be swept off her feet like this. Her hand came up and pressed lightly against his chest, but not to push him away, and she opened her eyes, looking up at him with an aching need in her expression.

"Where…?"

He smiled down at her, his eyes warm and sensual.

"Are there not many unused rooms on this level?"

She nodded, and reached up, taking his hand and leading him to the closest one.

OOOOOOOOOO

A knock on her door woke Melony from her slumber. She rolled over in her bed, opening her eyes and looking at her watch. She'd been asleep for several hours.

_You needed it_

Yeah. I know.

She did, too. She felt a lot better than she had when she'd fallen asleep – many of the aches were gone, courtesy of Talon.

_You're welcome_

She smiled, sleepily, and turned towards the door when the knock sounded again. Maybe it was Kale? Or Sheppard? They might be wanting to go over the list of planets with her again, just to double check before she and the Light One left.

_One way to find out_

Yeah, yeah… don't rush me…

She hated waking up – even when she felt better than she had. Waking up was something you should be allowed to do slowly, over a cup of hot coffee.

The knock sounded again, and she dragged herself out of her bed, untangling her blankets before she tripped over them and heading for the door.

"I'm coming…" she mumbled, slightly grumpily. She opened the door.

And found herself face to face with the last person she wanted to see. Hurt tore through her, and she took a half step back, her face pale. "Carson…" Then she retreated. She couldn't help it.

Talon…

The request was a plea that Talon would never ignore – not when he could feel just how badly she hurt just then.

The symbiote took over, and as Carson Beckett watched, Melony's face went from pale and wary to hard and uncompromising.

"Doctor Beckett… you are not welcomed here."

He'd seen the reaction Melony had had when she'd opened the door and saw him there, and had felt a stab of guilt that drove all the way through his heart. There was no denying he'd hurt her. Badly. But the sudden deep voice threw him. Melony had told him one time that although it didn't physically hurt her to have Talon take over her body, she didn't really like it all that much, so he didn't do it. The fact that she'd so readily given the symbiote control told him just as plainly as the trapped look he'd seen so fleetingly on her face just how disconcerted she was.

"Talon?"

He'd only heard the symbiote speak once before – and only for a moment – and had to make sure. But there was no mistaking the change. Where Melony's pale eyes were generally amused and lively, they were now cold and unforgiving.

"Your presence here is disturbing," Melony's mouth said – although it was Talon's voice. "You need to leave."

"I need to talk to Melony…" Carson said, frowning. He didn't want to be dismissed so easily. He'd waited for her to come to him all day, and when she hadn't, it'd taken him a long time to gather the courage to come to her, needing to talk to her and to make right what he'd done. "I sent word that she was to come see me…"

"She's not your servant, to come when you summon her."

"No… I know that…"

It was pretty obvious that while Melony was hurt, Talon was angry – and Carson wasn't sure what to make of that. How did you make a Tok'ra let you talk to his host, when the host just as obviously didn't want to talk to you?

"Then leave."

He took a step forward, entering her quarters.

"I need to talk to you – her… I need to tell her how much I-"

"She doesn't want to talk to you, and I won't force her to. She's-"

"I love her."

He couldn't think of anything else to say. Talon was as unweilding as anyone he'd ever met, and he knew it immediately.

"So you've said." Melony's arms crossed over her breasts, in an impatient manner. "I don't believe you. Lea-"

"What do _you_ know about love?" Carson challenged; angry that he wasn't even being given the chance to apologize after he'd waited all day, thinking up the perfect words to say. "You've never-"

A hand shot out and Beckett suddenly found himself pressed back against the wall, her hand holding him firmly in place.

"What do I know? For love Melony has placed herself into more dangerous situations than you could ever imagine. She's risked her life several times, risked losing the love of the man she'd loved for years and faced horrors untold – to help me finish the Goa'uld. And she asked for nothing in return. _That's_ love. I didn't ask her to do these things; she knew what I desired most, and she gave of herself willingly. Because of love. Never once did I have to ask her to _prove_ her love to me – and never once have I ever had to prove mine to her."

Talon released Beckett, and Melony walked past him, leaving him alone in her quarters rather than allow the confrontation to go any further. His host was hurting enough already, and this wasn't going to make it any better – although Talon was glad that he'd had a chance to lash out at the cause of that hurt.

Once they were around the corner and he was certain that Beckett wasn't following them, he relinquished control once more back to her, and Melony took a deep breath.

Thank you…

_You're welcome, love. You do know I meant every word?_

She nodded. Of course she knew; he was right inside her, after all. There were some things you just couldn't hide.

I know. It's mutual, you know?

_Yeah_

She took another deep breath, and looked down at her bare feet.

"Why don't we go double-check the harness and make sure everything's ready to go? Maybe if we're lucky, we'll run into Kale, and he'll be willing to leave early." She wanted to get out of there before Carson had a chance to decide to come looking for her again.

_You'll have to face him eventually_

I know…

She just couldn't do it then.


	32. 32

It took Melony nearly two hours to find Kale. Walking around barefoot through the corridors of Atlantis wasn't all that enjoyable, since the floors were cold, and by the time she'd checked pretty much everywhere and had decided the Light One wasn't wandering Atlantis with Weir or Sheppard or one of the others, her feet were cold and she was just a little exasperated.

_You might try his quarters_, Talon told her.

She scowled, and turned in the hall. That was a good idea.

Why didn't you say something earlier?

_I thought you needed the time to calm down a little – and assumed you'd figure it out on your own…_

His amusement was plain to feel, and Melony shook her head.

Never assume, smart ass…

Especially when she was distracted like she was just then,

When she knocked on the door of his borrowed quarters, he answered almost immediately, his larger frame filling the doorway as he looked down on her. He smiled when he saw who it was, and stepped aside so she could enter.

"Colonel Mitchell, it's good to see you."

"Thanks, Kale," she said, giving him as genuine a smile as she could. She was still fairly off balance from her encounter with Carson, though, and it showed in her expression. Add to it the cold feet, and she wasn't at her best. "I was just coming to check and see if you were ready to go?"

He frowned, noticing that she looked off-kilter.

"I am ready whenever you are. Are you all right? You seem upset…"

"I'm fine," she said, shrugging. "Just a little-"

"Where are your shoes?" He asked, looking down.

"In my quarters. I'll have to stop and get them." And her guns. And the shielding device. "I just left my room in a hurry…"

"Ah…" He knew there was more to it than that, but he also knew that she didn't want to discuss it – otherwise she would have. He smiled. "I am ready whenever you are. And perhaps we should take a look at this planet A-08 to see if it is daylight there at a different time than it is here… like it is at times on my own world."

"McKay actually looked into that for me," Melony told him, feeling a little more at ease now that they were talking about their mission and not her personal life. "The days there are longer than they are here – and easily twice as long as they are on your world – so we'd have a large window of opportunity. I had planned on going in the morning – our time – when both of us were rested, but I just woke up and I'm as rested as I'm going to get, so I thought I'd come see if you were up to leaving now, or if you needed to wait?"

_That's not the whole truth_

It's pretty close, though. I _am_ as awake as I'm going to be.

_But fairly distracted_

It's not going to be any better in the morning, Talon.

Since they both knew that was true, the symbiote didn't say anything else.

"I'm ready to go whenever you are, Melony," Kale told her. "When would you like to leave?"

"The sooner the better. I'll go get supplied and meet you in the control center in half an hour?"

He nodded.

"I'll be there."

She smiled and left his quarters and headed back to her own. Carson would almost definitely be gone by now.

_If he isn't, I'll toss him out a window_

Since there weren't any windows in her quarters, this wasn't a real concern, but Melony appreciated the sentiment anyways. And when they reached her room, they were empty.

OOOOOOOOO

Carson couldn't remember the last time he'd ever felt as bad as he did just then. Probably he never had. He'd never felt so much self-loathing, and self-pity, and it was about as depressing as anything he'd ever heard of. He couldn't even be angry that Talon had manhandled him, because as far as he was concerned, he'd deserved it. He'd treated her as badly as he could have, and worse, he'd done the one thing that he'd _known_ would hurt her the worst.

He knew she wasn't ready for physical intimacy – _knew it_ – and he'd forced her into it. And worse than that, he'd been rough with her in his urgency. The stitches in her side – and who knew where else – had to have ripped open, because it was the only way he could have ended up with blood on himself, and the more he thought about it the more he knew what he'd done hadn't been loving her, it'd been using her. And he was ashamed, and miserable about it. And couldn't even apologize, because Talon wouldn't let him near her.

Depressed and unsure what to do next, he made his way to the commissary, figuring he'd make his plans over a cup of tea.

The room was completely empty, except for Elizabeth Weir, who was sitting by herself at one of the long tables. He didn't want company; he wanted to mope all alone and wallow in his self-loathing, but despite that he found himself coming over to stand next to her once he'd made his tea. She looked easily as distracted and introspective as he felt, and she flinched when he spoke, making him feel even lower.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?"

She shook her head, gesturing to the spot beside her and Carson sat down with a exhausted sigh. Elizabeth looked over at him, knowing that she should at least try to make conversation. He looked as distracted as she felt.

"Want to talk about it?"

"No." He looked over at her. "How about you?"

She shook her head again.

"I'd rather not…"

He nodded, respecting her privacy like she was respecting his, and the two of them sat side by side, neither talking and both looking down in their cups but not drinking.

Half an hour later, Ford came into the commissary, fresh off a training patrol with one of the scientists they were teaching to be soldiers – sort of – and hungry, despite the odd hour of day. It was after lunch but too early for dinner, after all. He looked over at the two sitting off by themselves as he dished himself a plate of the food that was warming in the buffet style warmers, and poured himself a cup of coffee, and then walked over to stand across from them.

They both looked up at him, and he smiled cheerfully.

"Can I sit here?"

They both nodded, and watched as he sat down and began wolfing his food down with typical youthful exuberance. Finally, though, he slowed down and looked up at them. The depression in the room was palatable, even to someone as jovial as he was feeling just then.

"What's with you two?" He asked around a mouthful of bread. "You look like you lost your best friend."

"I _betrayed_ my best friend," Weir said, miserably.

Carson sighed.

"I betrayed the one I love most…"

Ford looked at one, and then the other.

"On purpose?"

"Not exactly," Weir said. Carson just shook his head.

"So go apologize."

"I can't."

"Me, either…"

They both sighed.

Ford shook his head, almost feeling the cheer drain out of the room around him. He was fairly sure he knew what Beckett was talking about – who he was talking about, anyways – since Melony Mitchell looked about as miserable as he'd ever seen her, and he even had a faint idea what was going on with Weir as well. He was, after all, very observant, even if he didn't speak up all that often.

"You know… love's a funny thing…"

"It doesn't seem funny at all to me," Beckett said, looking down at his tea.

"People can think that whatever they've done is unforgivable," Ford said, ignoring the doctor and looking at Weir, instead. "But if the person you hurt loves you, then there's really nothing you can do to take that love away. You don't control how others feel about you, after all… and there's nothing that can't be forgiven."

"This is pretty serious…" Weir said. Beckett nodded his agreement, but Ford just smiled and shook his head.

"I'm telling you true… if you could forgive that person for doing it to you, then they can forgive you for doing it to them… It's all about-"

He was interrupted when Sheppard came over and stood beside him, looking down at the group.

"Doctor Weir, you're needed in the control room."

Weir looked up at him curiously.

"Why?"

"Colonel Mitchell and Kale have decided that they need to gate to A-08 now, in order to have as much daylight as possible, and they need your authorization."

Since she couldn't think of any reason not to allow them to leave, Weir nodded and stood up. She smiled down at Ford – the young Lieutenant had given her food for thought for later.

"Thanks for the talk, Lieutenant."

"My pleasure, Ma'am."

She left and Ford stood up as well, intending to go join them and see Mitchell off, but Beckett looked up at him.

"Do you really believe all that?"

Ford smiled and leaned over.

"When I was training to join the SGC, I got into the biggest fight with my girlfriend – I don't even remember what it was about, but it was bad. I came to a training session depressed, and almost ready to go crazy with guilt and instead of chewing me out for not being able to pay attention, my training officer pulled me aside and asked me what was going on. When I finally admitted what it was, that's the advice I was given – and I found it made sense. It still does, today, you know."

"He was pretty smart, huh?" Carson asked.

"_She_," Ford corrected. "It was Colonel Mitchell who gave me that advice."

He nodded goodbye, and headed for the door, leaving Carson staring at his back.


	33. 33

When Weir arrived in the control room with Sheppard and Ford, she saw that Melony and Kale were, indeed, ready to go. Mitchell was wearing the harness, although she wouldn't actually be flown through the gate, and Kale was standing beside her, naked since he was going to transform into wolf form and precede her through the gate – just in case something indigenous to the planet – like a wild animal or something – that they didn't know about happened to be close at hand when they went through and posed a threat to Mitchell. Always better safe than sorry, after all.

Melony was also carrying a pack that Weir knew held a week's supply of food and water, as well as various other supplies that she might need in the event of an emergency while she and the Light One were exploring A-08. On her forearm was the remote dialing device and her IDC device. On one hip she was carrying her Beretta, on the other she had that zat and Weir was fairly certain that somewhere she also had General Jack O'Neill's Beretta as well, since Sheppard had shared with her the story of how she'd come to possess it.

She didn't have one of the small machine guns that the away teams usually carried – Mitchell had figured if they ran into anything, she'd be able to handle it with the pistols and the zat, and didn't want to have to tote the machine gun. Weir had asked Sheppard about it, and John had told her that it was sound strategy – especially since the planet appeared to be deserted and they didn't expect her to run into anything in large numbers that needed to be dealt with anyways.

"All ready?" Weir asked Mitchell, avoiding Kale's gaze as her cheeks reddened slightly.

Melony nodded, shifting her pack.

"We thought we'd go a little early – just to give us as much daylight as possible the first day."

Weir thought that Mitchell seemed a little distracted, and wondered what had happened between her and Beckett. It was too easy to put two and two together from what she'd seen in the commissary – especially for a trained diplomat like Elizabeth who was very good at reading people. While she was sure that a need for daylight was part of the reason for leaving earlier than planned, she also had a strong suspicion that it wasn't the only reason.

"We'll give you a week before we start to worry," Sheppard told her, coming over and standing next to Weir. "Then we'll come looking for you."

Mitchell nodded.

"We'll be back before then."

Sheppard hesitated, noting the same thing Weir had. He didn't like her going off looking so distracted. Bad things happened when you weren't paying 100 percent to what was going on around you – especially on an alien planet, he was learning.

"Be careful, okay?" he told her. "Watch your back."

She gave him a slight smile, and nodded.

"I will."

"I shall watch her back as well, Major," Kale told him as the gate started dialing and an instant later was open and waiting on them. The Light One looked at Weir and smiled, and a moment later was gone, replaced by the large wolf.

Melony rested her hand lightly on the furred shoulder of the creature and gave them a slightly cocky smile.

"Leave the light on…"

She and the wolf turned and headed through the gate without looking back.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

A-08 was a fairly lush planet – although the area near the Stargate was dry and cleared of anything but the hardiest of scrub brush. This was a bonus for them, because Kale and Mitchell wouldn't need to worry about any kind of ambush – which they weren't all that concerned about anyways, but you never knew – and the area was cleared enough that Kale would have plenty of room to transform and take flight.

When they came through the gate, Kale stepped forward ahead of Melony, his head casting around as his nose and ears took in the area around them, testing for sounds and smells that Melony wouldn't be able to pick up, even while Mitchell had her Beretta out and ready – just in case.

She didn't see anything that appeared to be a danger, however. For that matter, she didn't see much of anything. It was a bright day – probably mid morning – and the temperature was mild and the sky was a brilliant blue. A good day for flying.

"Anything around us?" She asked Kale, knowing the wolf understood her even if he didn't have the ability to talk to her in that form.

There was a soft snuffling noise as his nose took one last check of things, and the wolf vanished and the Light One reappeared.

"I can't find anything out of the ordinary, Melony," he told her. "Of course, since we're not exactly sure what 'ordinary' is for this place…"

She smiled and shrugged.

"We'll just have to assume that since most planets that sustain this kind of plant life are similar to our own, out of ordinary will be exactly that."

Kale nodded and looked around. The few pictures they'd had of the planet didn't do it justice. It was very hospitable and pleasant, and as long as it _stayed_ that way, it was hardly going to be objectionable to explore the place.

"Are you ready?"

She nodded.

"While we're looking around, keep an eye out for anything interesting – and a place to make camp for the night. Your eyes will be sharper than mine, so you'll probably see it first."

She didn't need to tell him to watch for anything dangerous – they were already both on guard against surprises – even in such a nice place.

"I will."

He transformed into his bird form and launched into the air, and Melony readied the loops on the harness to be grabbed. A moment later, she was jerked off the ground, and the two of them were airborne. The scouting mission was begun. Finally.


	34. 34

They didn't fly all day. What they did was check the area within a three or four mile radius around the stargate thoroughly, making sure there was absolutely no sign of anything that would pose a threat to either of them, and then they set up a camp that would be their base camp for the week – if they _needed_ a week. This consisted of a tent that was well sheltered in a copse of trees that looked a lot like walnut trees – only with bigger leaves that made a nice shelter from the direct rays of the bright sun – and a small fire pit that might or might not actually be put to use later on. Melony didn't actually _need_ to start a fire – not with MREs – but a fire was a comfort thing, and they might want one later. Of course, fires were also a great way to signal to others that you were there, so they'd wait and see what they found around them before they actually lit one.

They had a cold dinner once they set up the camp, and then took to the air once more, spreading their search even further out. All that they saw so far were plants of all sorts – and Melony wasn't a botanist so she didn't know what all of them were – although some definitely looked like something she'd have found in the forests of Wisconsin in her youth.

Bearing in mind that Kale was really doing all the work when it came to their searching, Melony called an end to the flight early to allow him a chance to take a break from the flying, and when he landed her at their camp – basically just dropped her and let the Ancient's shielding device break her fall when she crashed into the trees – she suggested that they do a little looking around on foot to get an idea of what kind of terrain it was for walking.

Kale agreed, and fell into step beside her – in human form – rather than transform into wolf. The trees weren't so thick that they wouldn't see anything coming at them, and it wasn't like it would take him long to change if he needed to.

"This place is very relaxing," the Light One said as they walked, his tough feet making no sound as they meandered through the forest. Neither of them were worried about getting lost. If they did, Kale could simply take to the air and either direct her on foot or just find a clearing and pick her up again and carry her back to camp.

"It's nice," she agreed, looking around. "I don't see anything that might be used as a research area, though."

"You're hoping to find a cave – or a system of caves, correct?"

"That'd be ideal," she said, nodding. "Someplace big enough to fit a Jumper – because then it'd be big enough to fit one of those Wraith Darts, as well."

"In the morning I will fly out and see if I can find any rocky areas that might have a suitable cave – or caves – in it."

She nodded, knowing that if he weren't toting her around he'd make better time. She wasn't worried about being alone; it wasn't like she was completely helpless. Besides, she could do some scouting of her own on the ground while he searched from the air.

"We might as well call it a night, then," she said, looking at the sky that had an odd haziness to it that she assumed heralded the dark – like dusk did back on Earth. "I think we'd be better off without a fire tonight – we can give it a go tomorrow night."

He agreed, and the two headed back to the camp, ate another quick meal and then sat around the unlit fire and discussed their plans for the next few days. Kale could see that when she wasn't thinking about or talking about what they were doing she was frequently looking off into space, her eyes slightly pained and bleak, but the Light One didn't ask her what was wrong, knowing that if she wished to discuss it, she'd have brought it up.

"We should get some sleep," he finally said, his voice coming out of a near darkness, now. The only light they had was from their flashlights, and they didn't use them much – Kale not needing the light since he had very good night vision, and Melony not at all afraid of the darkness.

She nodded and the two of them went into the tent and closed it behind them. Kale switched over to wolf form, which would allow him to keep guard over her while he slept and Melony willingly wrapped up in a blanket and curled up against his warm, furry side. Her hand rested on his soft flank and her whole head rose and fell lightly with each breath he took as her cheek pressed against his side, and the sound of his heartbeat lulled her to sleep, even though she was a long ways away from the one she really wanted to be next to.

OOOOOOOO

The next morning Kale took off and went on his own search immediately after breakfast, leaving Melony to wander the area on foot – an area that Kale knew was safe or he'd never have left her alone in it. Nothing had appeared in the night to pose them a threat and in the morning they hadn't been able to find any sign in the ground in the area that anything might have been nearby while they were asleep. He flew off, telling her he'd be back shortly, and she headed through the underbrush, one hand always close to a weapon. It never hurt to be sure, after all.

They met up again for lunch, with Kale telling her that all he'd seen from the air was trees, trees and more trees, but that he'd go the other direction after he ate and had a chance to rest a little bit and see if there might be something that way. Melony told him that she'd pretty much seen the same thing – only from the ground and looking up – and the two of them easily understood why Major Sheppard's team hadn't found this planet to be much more than a possible source of firewood if they ever needed it. It was dull.

After lunch she left Kale to his rest and headed in the opposite direction that she'd gone that morning, figuring that boring in one direction might mean something interesting in the other. What she found a few hours later was extremely interesting, amazingly wonderful and had absolutely nothing to do with her quest for a way to defeat the Wraith.

"These look like coffee berries…" She said, aloud, as she tripped over the root of a tree and almost fell into a small clearing. The clearing was filled with the one plant that would look familiar to her no matter what planet she was on.

_It can't be coffee_

"Why not?"

_Because_…

She snorted, amused that he couldn't come up with a better reason, and plucked one of the berries from the bush and examined it. She knew coffee when she saw it, and damned if that didn't look a lot like coffee in its natural state. Dry it and grind it, and she was certain she'd have coffee…

_Coffee only grows on Earth_

"We don't know that."

_I've never seen it anywhere else_

"Were you looking for it?"

Of course he wasn't. He'd only tried the stuff after he'd blended with Mitchell and only because she couldn't function without it.

_No_

"How do we know the Ancients didn't bring it to Earth with them?" She asked him, reasonably as she started gathering up a large number of the berries to check out back at the camp. "Maybe they needed a cup of java to get started in the morning, too…"

It was his turn to snort – in disbelief – but he didn't argue with her. She certainly seemed sure of what she was seeing, and who was he to tell her otherwise?

"We'll take it back and check it out tonight. It really looks like coffee…"

He muttered something about wishful thinking, and she countered with a comment about pessimists and empty glasses, and headed back to camp, feeling far more cheerful than she'd felt since gating to A-08. Life was getting better and better…


	35. 35

"It doesn't _look_ like coffee," Kale said when he'd returned from his scouting to find Melony examining the berries she'd found. He went over and took a packet of instant coffee from an MRE and opened it, pouring the grounds out into his palm.

Mitchell smiled.

"That's because what you see there is the finished result," she told him. "First, they pick these berries, and take the seeds from them – only they call them beans – then there's sorting and dry roasting and all sorts of other things that have to happen before they can grind them and come up with what you have in your hand."

"Are you so certain that's the correct plant?" He asked. "There might be plenty of plants that look similar."

She shrugged.

"It looks like coffee to me, but there's a whole base filled with scientists back at Atlantis with free time on their hands, and I'll be one of them can do some kind of analysis on these to see if they're what I hope they are."

"And if they are?"

"Then I'm going to come and clean this place out of every bush I can get my hands on," she joked.

_You're not joking_

Well, I wouldn't take _every_ bush.

Talon snorted, and reminded Melony that they weren't there to find coffee.

"Did you find anything worth looking at?" She asked Kale as the Light One carefully dumped his instant coffee into a cup of hot water and handed it to her. He didn't find the taste all that great, but there was no denying that she did.

"Actually, I did," he said, nodding. "At least, I found a rocky area not far from here." He pointed off to their left. "It seems to be fairly widespread, so there is a possibility at least that there might be some caves." He shrugged, looking at her to see if she was interested.

She definitely was.

"How far away?"

"A short flight. I found it easily once I was headed in the right direction. The rocky area stretches on for miles."

"No sign of any Wraith?"

He shook his head.

"I didn't see anything – Wraith or otherwise – but I didn't land, either. Would you like me to go back and take another look before it grows dark?"

It was her turn to shake her head.

"No. I'd rather you had a chance to rest." He'd been flying a lot more than he was used to, and she knew it – even though he hadn't complained. "We can go look at it in the morning, when we're both fresh."

He smiled, pleased by her consideration.

"Perhaps we can risk a fire tonight?"

"Sure."

They hadn't seen any sign of any threatening creatures that might be drawn to it, and a fire would be nice.

_You just want a chance to try and roast some of those berry seeds_, Talon accused, good-naturedly.

Well, since we have a chance to have a fire, and fires are good for _roasting_ things, I might give it a shot – just to see what happens.

She felt his amusement, but he didn't say anything else, and she got to her feet.

"I'll go find some wood, if you start the fire."

"Fair enough."

The Light One went to the fire pit they'd dug and started setting up kindling and shredded paper that Melony had set next to the pit in case they'd decided to make a fire, and by the time she'd returned with enough dry wood to last the night, he had a small fire burning merrily. Melony dropped the wood, and crouched down beside him. It was going to be a nice night, and with good company and a fire blazing, it was hard to remember that she wasn't out camping somewhere with her brother and Jack.

_Only they never went camping naked, did they?_

Yeah, well… there is that.

"I'm going to see if I can play Juan Valdez and get some of those seeds out of those berries," she told Kale.

Since he didn't have a clue who Juan Valdez was, and Melony _knew_ he didn't, she understood the confused look he gave her, but she just smiled and patted his shoulder as she stood up again and headed for her pack. There had to be something she could use as a roasting pan of sorts.

_Try the tinfoil_

Good idea.

While Kale watched curiously, Mitchell sat and patiently pulled the seeds from the berries she'd brought back to camp. Then she rinsed them off with some water from her canteen and set them in a packet she made with the tinfoil. Then she set the whole mess close to the fire, but not inside the fire. She wanted them _roasted_, not burned.

"How do you know this method?" Kale asked when she was finished and had gone over to sit next to him. "Is it common for your people to make their own coffee?"

She shook her head.

"I know because I was in Columbia one summer and found myself in a position to find out how it was done. Most people just get it from the stores already ground – or as beans that they take home and grind themselves."

"And Juan Valdez…?" He asked. "Who is that? The one who showed you how to make the coffee?"

She laughed, and shook her head, and while she made dinner for the two of them she told him about the made up character and his little donkey – which had led to discussion of other creatures that were from Earth, and had then led to discussion of creatures that lived on the planet the Light One was from.

That discussion led them through the evening and up until they decided it was time to go to bed. The fire had gone down – although it wasn't out – and Melony pushed her tinfoil roasting pan closer to the ashes and then headed for bed, followed by Kale. Morning would come soon enough, and she'd see if her beans were coffee or something else – and she'd see if this rocky area was what she was looking for.

Not surprisingly, she had just a little trouble getting to sleep that night as Kale curled up around her in wolf form. But eventually she did.


	36. 36

They were up early the next morning. Mitchell dressed and checked on her beans, turning the little jury-rigged roasting pan a bit and adding enough small pieces of wood to the fire to make sure it continued to roast her little beans all day – or until they returned – and then slipped into her harness so Kale – who had taken to the air as soon as he'd finished breakfast – could come and grab her once he was warmed up enough.

A few minutes later, they were both in the air, and Kale was winging them into the rising sun. The flight didn't last more than half an hour, which meant a couple hours by foot if Melony were to walk it, which wasn't bad. She checked out the terrain below her as they flew and found it was mostly trees with the occasional clearing – nothing she couldn't handle hiking through.

Then they were descending, and Melony turned her attention to where they were going instead of where they'd been, and braced herself for the landing. He released her and she went tumbling, but only a short distance, and with the shield device in place she wasn't injured by the fall. She was on her feet and checking her equipment by the time Kale landed, and she turned off the shield device to take a drink of water and then offered him the canteen, which he took with a smile of thanks.

"It's not rock," she told him, looking at the smooth area with great interest. "It's a lava flow. An old one from the looks of things."

"Lava?"

"From volcanoes. You don't have volcanoes on your world?" That seemed unlikely. Most planets she'd been to had some sort of volcanic activity somewhere – even if it wasn't all that active.

He shrugged.

"Spewing mountains that shoot molten rocks and ash into the sky…?" She clarified. "Or sometimes just ash… depending on the area. And there are usually earthquakes…"

"We have earthquakes."

"Then you probably have some sort of volcanic activity," she said, shrugging. "It might just all take place under the surface where your people don't see it." She pointed at the flow, which extended for what looked like at least a few miles, starting where she and Kale were standing and rising up to at least a hundred feet in some areas – and more in others. Not that unusual; lava did whatever it wanted to when it flowed. Sometimes it stopped, and built up in areas, and sometimes it stayed flat. Depending on whatever was underneath it when it came.

"This is actually just as good as a mountain area," she told him, reaching down just to double check that it was cooled lava – although Kale's feet were bare and he didn't have any trouble with it. Besides, she didn't see any steam or smoke or anything that might give indication that there was any activity.

"I don't see a mountain anywhere," Kale said, gesturing around him. "How did it come out of a burning mountain?"

"It could have come from underground. Or the mountain could have been leveled by the eruption."

_The first is more likely_, Talon told her. _An eruption big enough to level a mountain would have made a larger flow than this – unless the mountain is under the flow_

Talon knew a lot more about rocks and geothermalities than Melony did – he'd studied geology intently when he'd been looking for a base to launch his attack on the Goa'uld – and she knew it, so she deferred to him on this.

"How is this better than mountains?" Kale asked. "I don't see any caves…"

"Lava tubes," Melony said. She went on to explain to him about eruptions and lava flows, and then explained about tubes that some lava might have been flowing through – tubes that could be as small as a garden hose – which she had to explain really quick – or as large as any cave he might have ever seen. "More importantly," she said as they walked over the fairly smooth ground, "A lava tube will almost definitely have an exit – a way to the surface."

_And if we found one, and we found that there was still some volcanic activity in the area, we could probably rig a way to use the geothermal energies to our advantage_

Can you do that?

_Of course_

Reminding her that he was a lot smarter than she was, after all.

_I'm a lot older than you are, Hot Shot_

She smiled.

"So, should we focus our search here, then?" Kale asked. "Or would you like me to fly you back to the camp, and keep looking for something closer to what you were originally considering?"

"If you don't mind, I'd like to se if we can find anything usable here…"

He shook his head.

"Whatever you want to do."

She gave him a smile of thanks, and they started searching the area. Kale went airborne; his sharp eyes would be able to see any openings that weren't too well hidden, and Melony started across on foot, grumbling about the incline almost immediately.

_You should have brought mountain climbing gear_

Where would I have put it?

_Good point. Just try not to fall, okay? I'm tired of putting you back together_

You're lazy, that's what it is.

_Me?? Lazy?? I'm crushed you'd even think that_

Uh huh…

She was glad to have a chance to banter with Talon. The trip to A-08 had pulled her away from the need to deal with Carson right away, but more importantly, it was giving her a chance to get her equilibrium back enough that she could actually think about what had happened between the two of them with a little more objectiveness.

Had she given Carson a reason to think something was going on between her and Kale? She'd been off-world with him, yes, but that had-

_There's no excuse for what he did_, Talon interrupted. _So stop trying to find one_

Mitchell knew Talon was still furious with Beckett – there was no hiding it from his host, after all, and Talon didn't bother to try.

_He's lucky I didn't kill him_

I'm glad you didn't.

Which was why Talon hadn't – because he knew that Melony did still love Carson, although she was having trouble coming to terms with what had happened between them.

_Next time I will – if he even _looks_ at you funny…_

She shook her head, amazed at the fierceness of his reply. He meant it, it was obvious.

_If I had to choose between your happiness and them, I'd level the entire city and everyone in it_

Let's hope it doesn't come to that, Melony told him, feeling warm and fuzzy inside. Nothing made you feel better than that kind of love. Nothing.

A piercing cry from above made her look up, and she saw that Kale was coming down at her, his talons extended in what obviously a signal that he wanted to grab her. She raised the loops and braced herself, and a moment later was jerked off her feet, carried about a mile or so to the left where there was a steep drop in the flow – a ravine of sorts – maybe two hundred feet down and at least that across. It was huge, but Melony wouldn't have seen it until she'd actually stumbled into it – and although the sides weren't so smooth that she couldn't have climbed out of it, the fall might have hurt.

_Especially since you forgot to turn that device on when you stopped to drink,_ Talon chided her.

She hastily put it on before Kale could drop her, and managed to just in time. The Light One flew into the ravine, and Mitchell realized that in this area the lava flow was a lot thicker than it was where they'd started. A moment later she was tumbling on the floor of the ravine, and Kale was coming to a landing beside her and switching form.

"Is this what you were looking for?" He asked, pointing.

She turned the direction he was pointing, and saw a tunnel – a perfectly round tunnel – about twice the size of a subway train. It was a dark maw in the face of the otherwise unblemished lava surface, and it went back into the flow further than she could see.

She felt a momentary thrill, and realized that it wasn't coming from her – it was coming from Talon. He was already excited, and eager to check it out.

"It _might_ be," She said, smiling. "We need to check it out."


	37. 37

_This probably wasn't the most intelligent thing you and I have ever done…_

I was just thinking that myself. If we come to a steep drop in this thing, we're going to have to turn back and go back to Atlantis for ropes.

They were in the lava tube and had been walking through the tube for almost ten minutes before the realization of just how dumb this was had occurred to her. Aside from the light cast from the flashlights she and Kale were holding, it was as dark as anything Melony had ever seen. Which was probably to be expected, but it made for a very dangerous situation should they fall into an unexpected incline and get stuck somewhere because they couldn't get out.

_We'll just have to keep a close eye on what's ahead of us_

What was _behind_ them was Kale, who was breathing heavily – even though the walk hadn't been very difficult so far. Melony suspected he was borderline claustrophobic, but when she asked if he was all right a few minutes before, he'd nodded and said he was fine. Of course, that could have been to keep her from sending him back outside, in which case she was going to cut this excursion short if he got any worse – she owed him that much consideration – and more.

Another five minutes and she was ready to call it quits. The lava tube had seemed like it might be an ideal place for her little secret lab, but it hadn't opened out to anything like Talon had hoped it would – and had _expected_ it to from his studies of such things. It just seemed to go on and on, in a very slight incline that would make getting out an easy walk, and guarantee that water never flooded the place if it rained, but that was about it.

"We might as well turn back, Kale," she said a minute later. "I don't-"

"The tunnel is getting lighter, Melony…" The Light One interrupted.

Melony hadn't noticed with her flashlight going all over the place like it had been, but Kale's sharper eyes had picked up on what she hadn't. There was a very dim light in the darkness of the tunnel, now, coming from ahead.

"Lava?"

I don't think so… 

"I don't know…" Of course he didn't know. He'd _never_ seen a volcano before.

The tunnel curved slightly and suddenly opened out in a huge cavern.

"Wow…"

She looked up and saw that there was a slight crack in the ceiling of the cavern – _slight_ being relative, since it had to be at least a foot wide and appeared to go down through at least ten feet of the hardened lava that made up the ceiling. It was enough to give off the light that they'd seen, and then some, and plainly allowed them to see the dimensions of the grotto they'd just stepped into.

"This is amazing," Kale said, shaking his head as he shined the light upwards, the flashlight's light losing its intensity as the ceiling was at least a good hundred feet above them. The walls weren't perfectly round or anything, but they extended out about another hundred and fifty feet, and for the size of it, it was warm, which told Talon that there had to be a geothermal source somewhere in the area – not _too_ close by, because it wasn't hot – but close enough they could search it out.

_This place is ideal for what we want to do_

Are you sure? Melony asked. A Jumper won't fit in the tube…

_We're not going to be using a Jumper, Hot Shot. We're going to steal a Dart – and they're smaller. One will probably fit through the tube, and we could even steal a couple with this much space to work in_

"Is this what you were hoping to find, Melony?" Kale asked.

She nodded, and realized he wasn't looking at her so he hadn't seen it.

"Yeah. I think so…"

"Could you be so fortunate to find something on the first place you looked?"

"Well, it's not exactly what I was intending to find, but it'll do nicely. I suspect we'd find something equally suitable on many of the other worlds on the list we made, but why not grab the first good one that comes along?"

_Besides, it has a ready supply of coffee…_

There is that, she agreed, smiling in the dim light.

"I wonder if we can find it from the outside…" Kale said, looking up at the ceiling.

"It won't be much of a secret lab if we can," she said, looking up as well. "Should we go see?"

"Yes."

His quick agreement told her he was ready to leave the cave, and the tunnel. Melony could see other tubes leading off from the main cavern – four of them, although one was only about three feet in diameter and she wasn't going to check that out any time soon. She wasn't ready to go crawling around just yet.

_Wimp_

I just don't want to get my clothes dirty.

_Bullshit, you just don't want to do anything_ hard_…_

Hush.

She felt his amusement – because he knew he was right – and put her hand reassuringly on Kale's back.

"Let's get out of here, my friend. We'll see what we can find from the top."

OOOOOOOO

It turned out they didn't find anything from the top. Even when Kale took the air, following what he believed to be the path of the tunnel they'd just left, he still couldn't find the crack that illuminated the cavern.

While he'd been flying, Melony had hiked up the side of the ravine – mainly to make sure it actually wasn't all that hard – and found it wasn't. He came in and landed beside her, and transformed back.

"I couldn't find it. We'll have to walk and see if it's visible."

She shrugged, wiping the sweat off her forehead and taking a drink of water.

"That can wait. If you couldn't find it easily with your sharp eyes, then the next thing to do is see if we can find it in a Jumper."

"Which means we're done searching?" He asked, taking the canteen from her and drinking.

She nodded, "I think so. It seems to be close enough to what I was looking for that it'd be a waste of time and resources – and energy – to keep looking."

"I agree. Although I am willing to, if you desire it."

"Unless we find some serious flaws in the lava flow that make it dangerous to be under – which we won't until we use sensors on it – I think this one will be fine." She smiled, and readied her harness. "Let's head back to camp, and get it packed up."

Kale smiled.

"I think you're just tired of sleeping on the ground."

"That, too."

He laughed, and transformed, then took to the air.

_Turn on the shielding device, Hot Shot_

I was going to.

_Uh huh…_

It was obvious he didn't believe _that_, either.

She turned it on, and a moment later was snatched off the ground, and Kale carried her back the way they'd come.


	38. 38

The beautiful day was turning into a cloudy one by the time they'd made it out of the lava tube, and the rain started to fall the same time Kale landed her in the middle of their camp. It wasn't a devastating rain – more like a spring drizzle – but it was enough to make her doubly glad that they were heading back to Atlantis. She hated being rained on.

_You should have brought a hat_

What? And mess up my hair?

His amusement made her smile, as she'd known it would, and she watched Kale come in for a landing and transform.

"So much for it being a perfect utopia," The Light One said, holding his hand out and catching raindrops on his palm. He, of course, hadn't brought any clothes, since Melony was used to him being naked when he was in his human form and they hadn't wanted to waste the pack space if they hadn't needed to.

"Let's get things packed and get out of here before it gets bad."

"I didn't see any sign of a serious storm coming in," he told her, shrugging. "It's probably just a regular rain"

Which was plenty of rain for her.

_Baby_

Hush.

It didn't take them long to break the camp down. Melony paused long enough to fish her little tinfoil roasting pan out of the fire and tuck it into her pack, then she doused the fire carefully while Kale packed up the tent and gathered up what little they'd left lying around. They hadn't been in the area all that long, and hadn't really made much of a mess, but they didn't want to leave any evidence of their stay if they could avoid it.

"Want me to carry you to the Stargate?" he offered.

She shook her head.

"It's too wet to fly, and there's no sense getting your feathers wet if we don't have to. It's not far – we can walk."

He shifted into wolf form – his fur was far more waterproof than his skin was, and Melony shouldered her pack and they headed for the Stargate, the rain still coming down steadily, but not torrentially.

_I wonder if the cavern is flooding_

That would be a problem… that little crack will either have to be fixed, or we'll have to do something about runoff.

_Time enough to worry about it later_

That was true.

By the time they reached the gate, Mitchell was soaked and she was beginning to wish she could turn into a wolf, too. Kale looked snug and dry in that fur coat he was wearing, and she had water trickling through her drenched hair and under her jacket.

She dialed the gate, sending through her code as soon as it swooshed open and looking at her watch, wondering what time it was on Atlantis.

_Pretty late_

Yeah. Well, I'm not going to stay out in the rain just to keep from dragging them out of bed. We'll have to work on our timing, though, eh?

_True_

She gave them enough time to recognize her code and turn off the shield, then put her hand on Kale's furry shoulder to let him know they could go through. With the Light One a step ahead of her, Mitchell headed through the gate, already anticipating a hot shower.

OOOOOOOOOOO

"It's Colonel Mitchell's code."

Weir nodded, still adjusting her uniform jacket. She'd been asleep when the alarms had sounded through the base that there was an incoming wormhole, and had bolted for the control room still dressing. Along the way – which wasn't really all that far – she'd ran into Sheppard, who was in a similar state of dressing, and the two had made good time to the control room, reaching it by the time the last chevron had engaged and the shield had gone up to protect the city.

"Go ahead and open the shield," Weir said, looking over as the door opened and Carson Beckett appeared with a medical team, on call as always in case something had happened.

"It's Colonel Mitchell," Weir told him.

Carson nodded; feeling a pang. He wasn't surprised. He'd been thinking about her nonstop since she'd left, after all. Trying to think of what he would say once she returned and he managed to get her alone to talk to him. Which, of course, could be a problem as well, he knew. Especially after the conversation he'd had with Talon had left no doubt how the symbiote felt – which could be a reflection of how she felt as well. But he had to try. He just _had_ to.

The large wolf entered first, his fur dark with the water that was soaking him – although it looked like most of it was dripping off his fur instead of sticking to him. He looked around, and even as he was transforming into Kale, Mitchell emerged, soaked to the skin, but looking fit and healthy. Whatever reason they'd come through the gate in the middle of the night, it wasn't because something had happened, or because someone was chasing them.

"Colonel Mitchell…"

Weir and Sheppard both stepped forward, and Melony and Kale met them halfway.

"Sorry about the late hour, Doctor Weir," Mitchell told her. "It started raining on us, or we might have waited by the gate for a more convenient time."

That much was obvious, since the closer they got the wetter she looked.

"So that planet was a bust?" Sheppard asked.

"Not at all." Melony grinned. "Aside from the sudden shower that I could have done without, we did really well. Might have even found just what I was looking for.'

"Really?"

She nodded, but before she could say anything else, Weir interrupted.

"Why don't you get dried off, Colonel?" She said. "Get warmed up, have Doctor Beckett give you a quick checkup, and then we'll all meet and you can tell us all about it?"

She really _was_ interested, but that would give her a chance to wake up a little more before getting a briefing on something that could be extremely important. Not to mention, she needed a minute before facing Kale, who was looming over them now that he was back in naked human form.

Melony hesitated. The last thing she wanted was to spend time with Carson – not really. Although she'd done nothing but think about him the entire time she was gone, even being in the same room as him was hurting her. She nodded, though; since there was no way she could tell Weir that.

"I'll meet you all in the briefing room as soon as you're ready."

They nodded, and she turned and headed for the infirmary, Kale right beside her, and Beckett following, his own steps almost as hesitant as hers.


	39. 39

The infirmary was all but empty when they reached it. Of course, it was late at night and there were no patients who needed looking after, so what was the point of keeping any more than a skeleton staff awake in the middle of the night – and _those_ just in case there was an accident?

A medic gestured for Kale to follow him so he could have a quick checkup as well and Melony hesitated at the entrance, watching as Kale and the medic vanished.

"I'd like a different doctor…" she said, softly, not looking at Carson.

He felt his heart drop at those words – which hurt even more because he knew she hadn't said them to hurt him. She'd said them because she didn't want to be around him. He'd hurt her too badly for her to forgive him, and she didn't want him close to her – probably to keep him from hurting her again.

"I'm the only one there is, Colonel," he told her, his eyes and voice both giving testimony to the hurt he was feeling – and the guilt. "The others are off duty."

There weren't all _that_ many, anyways. He could have a nurse do the physical – there wasn't all that much to it, after all – but after those words, Carson had a feeling that this was going to be his last, best chance to get her in a position where he could talk to her and let her know how badly he felt for what had happened. It was obvious that she was going to continue to avoid him if she could.

_Don't worry, Melony_, Talon told her. _If he does anything you don't like, I'll deal with him…_

I don't want-

_The longer you argue about it, the longer it's going to be until you get a hot shower_

She sighed, and nodded, and Carson gestured for her to have a seat on one of the examination tables. Then he handed her a towel, because she was still dripping on the floor, her light hair matted and dark with rainwater.

"Thank you…"

She took the towel and started drying her hair and face, although she watched him warily, and it was Carson's turn to sigh as he reached over and flipped the privacy curtain shut.

"I want to talk to you…" He said, softly.

She shook her head and looked down, her towel in her hands, but forgotten.

"I don't want to talk to you…"

He ignored her, knowing he had to do that once more, or he'd never get to say what had to be said.

"I know I hurt you… I don't have any excuse – even though I've been trying to come up with one for the last few days. Anything to give me a way to keep from taking blame for what I did to you. To us." He shook his head. "There _is_ no excuse. I was jealous-"

"There's nothing going on between Kale and-"

"I know, Melony." He wasn't looking at her, now, either. "And even if there was; it's none of my business. You're a grown woman, and I don't own you. Who you're with is completely up to you. Not…" He stopped, his voice breaking. "I was feeling left out, and jealous, and I hurt you. I just needed you to know that I was sorry for that, and I swear to you… I'll never hurt you again." He swallowed the lump that was building in his throat. "I love you. I'm sorry I didn't say it earlier. I'm sorry that the first time you heard it was when… that day."

He shook his head, still not looking at her, so he wasn't aware that she was actually watching him, now, instead of her hands.

Melony could feel Talon withdraw as much as he could, and she understood that to mean that while the symbiote still didn't trust him, and she could feel – even though he was trying to hide it from her – that he didn't believe Beckett deserved to even be in the same room as his host, Talon was giving Melony the decision. He was her symbiote, and she knew he loved her and would do anything for her – including taking over and walking her out the door if she wanted him to. But he wouldn't live her life for her, and he wouldn't make her decisions for her. It was her choice. And one she wasn't able to make.

He sounded so sincere, but her trust in him had been completely shattered. As she listened to him tell her about how he was feeling left out, she couldn't help but think back to try and figure out how she'd left him out, when he'd been the one she'd gone to for comfort. But she realized as she thought about it that she hadn't gone to him for _help_. She'd gone to Kale. And she might have done it in a way that would make Beckett feel left out, sure… but she couldn't control how he felt. How could she let him help her anymore than what he'd already been doing? Kale was the one that could fly and could tote her around. Not Carson.

She understood the jealousy and the hurt, but Carson was right; there was no excuse. She would never have done to him what he'd done to her. Well… if situations were reversed? If he was working on something important and she was feeling left out? And he was seeking assistance form some cute woman who ran around naked…? She was honest enough with herself that she knew she probably would have felt jealous, too.

She felt tears stinging her eys. This wasn't a decision could just make in an instant. A broken trust… no matter the reason… it was… it had hurt so much. And not the physical – which had been eased by Talon before it could become etched in her memory. It was the emotional injuries she'd taken – the psychological ones that screamed at her.

"What I did was unforgivable," Carson said, looking up at her face, now, and seeing agony in her expression. God, even now he was hurting her. "I know you can't forgive and forget, but I needed to let you know how I felt. That I was sorry."

He sighed, and shook his head.

"I'll go find a nurse to give you your checkup…"

She nodded, looking down at her hands again, unable to feel anything but numb.

He left the curtained area, and she wiped her eyes on the towel, her emotions and thoughts chaotic. Far too whacked to give a report of any kind. Not tonight. When the medic came to give her her physical, Mitchell asked her if she'd send word to Sheppard and Weir that she wasn't feeling up to a briefing just then – she'd do it first thing in the morning, once she'd had a chance to get some sleep and warm up. After a quick checkup to assure herself that the Colonel wasn't sick or injured, the medic nodded and promised to pass the word on, and suggested Mitchell go and take a hot shower and get some rest. She said that Kale had already left to do just that. Melony nodded, and left the infirmary, heading for her quarters.

OOOOOOOO

Nothing is unforgivable if you love someone enough…

The words were rolling through her mind as she showered, soaking up hot water that didn't seem to warm the chilled spot in the very center of her – although it was doing wonders for her aching muscles that were tired of sleeping on the ground. It had been a mantra she'd lived by all her life – and advice that she'd always passed on to those around her when they'd been in arguments with those they loved. She and Brad had never had an argument so bad that they'd needed that advice, and Brad had never done anything so out of line that she'd ever had to use her own advice. They'd had a few tiffs, but nothing so bad that it hadn't made making up difficult – and that making up had been some of the sweetest moments she'd spent with him.

She sobbed, wishing for the millionth time that things were different. That things had been different. And knowing that the past couldn't be changed. For better or worse a person had to live in the here and now – because that was what you had to deal with. That was where the people around you were. She'd lost so many people in her life that she'd learned that to dwell on those hurts that seemed so insurmountable would only bring pain. It was the only way she'd been able to keep from giving in to that pain. Those hurts that came when she'd lost her parents, and her brother, and then her lover and the rest of SG-2.

How long she was in the shower she didn't know. The water was still hot – Atlantis had an almost unlimited supply of hot water – but she was wrinkled and waterlogged by the time she finally turned the water off and reached for a towel. She still wasn't completely sure what to do, but she knew what she needed just then. She dried off, and reached for her clothes.

OOOOOOOOO

He hadn't thought he'd be able to get back to sleep. He'd poured his heart out and it hadn't worked. Ford had been wrong; some things _weren't_ forgivable, no matter how much you cared for someone – or how much that person cared for you. Some trusts couldn't be regained once they were broken. Some things weren't fixable. No matter how much you wanted them to be.

As Carson stripped to his boxers, turned off the light and crawled into his bed, feeling about as miserable as he'd ever felt in his life, he was certain he was going to lay awake the rest of the night, wallowing in the self pity that had taken hold of him and bathed him in an odd sort of depression. A depression he'd been feeling ever since Melony had left him to go to A-08. A depression that was as draining on his body and spirit as a hundred hours of nonstop surgery.

He sighed, and closed his eyes, hugging his pillow close. And had fallen into a light doze almost immediately, his energy sapped by his emotions. He didn't hear the door to his quarters open, didn't hear the footsteps cross the small living area and hesitate at his bedroom door, and he didn't hear the soft intake of breath as Melony gathered what little courage she had left around her and slid into his bed with him, pulling his pillow away from his arms, and putting herself in its place.

He woke, though, when he felt that. His eyes flew open in the darkness, but he couldn't see anything. He could feel her with him, fully clothed against him and trembling as if she might fall apart any moment. He started to sit up – to reach for the light – but her voice stopped him. It was filled with fear, and uncertainty, and trembling almost as much as she was.

"Hold me, Carson…? Please?"


	40. 40

He didn't hesitate, even though he was speechless to have her with him. Had she forgiven him so easily? He didn't know for sure, but he gathered her into his arms, grateful that she was there and willing to give him the chance.

"I'm sorry, Melony…" he whispered as he tucked her head under his chin, his arms holding her close against him, even though he was also holding her as gently as if she were made of spun glass.

She nodded, but she couldn't say anything, and if anything, he felt her trembling increase.

"Melony…. Shhhh… I've got you… I won't hurt you, I swear…"

She started crying then, soft sobs that broke his heart, and made him want to cry, too. Realizing that she wasn't going to be able to hold a conversation with him, Carson pulled his blankets up around the two of them, making sure she was warmly covered, and then he rocked her while she cried, whispering reassurances to her as her tears soaked his bare chest and reminded him once more just how badly he'd injured her.

"Never again, love," he promised her, pressing his cheek against the top of her head – which was soaked and smelled of shampoo, telling him she'd been in the shower at least, so he wouldn't have to worry about her catching a chill. She didn't answer him, but she did finally stop trembling, and eventually she stopped crying as well. Carson didn't say anything, he just continued to hold her, giving her the comfort that she so obviously needed from him – and wishing he could do more to make things right between them, but unable to think of anything.

When she fell asleep, still firmly ensconced in his embrace, he shifted just enough to get into a slightly more comfortable position, and fell asleep as well. Morning was soon enough to talk, and now that she was with him, he would be able to tell her again and again just how much he loved her – until she eventually believed him, despite what he'd done.

OOOOOOOOOO

When he woke up the next morning, however, she was gone.

He sat up in his bed, his arms achingly empty and listened for a moment in case she was just in the shower or something. But she wasn't, and he'd pretty much known it immediately. He wondered how he'd managed to sleep through her leaving, and then wondered if the night before had been a one-time thing – her chance to say goodbye or something. He felt a stab of fear at that particular thought, but knew that if it was the case, then that was how things had to be. She'd never said she'd forgiven him, he knew, and he was fortunate – as far as he was concerned – that she'd even given him a chance to hold her once more.

But he had to know.

He pushed back the blankets and reached for his clothes.

OOOOOOOOOO

"Are you serious?"

Melony smiled, and nodded, pushing her little tinfoil roasting pot over the level surface of the table towards McKay's spot across from her.

"You look at them," she told him. "By the time I took them out of the berries, cleaned them off and put them in the fire to 'roast' a while, they turned out looking a lot like coffee beans to me. They sure smell like coffee beans."

Rodney looked into the little jury-rigged tinfoil pan, and pulled one of the beans out and examined it. First he looked at it, then he smelled it, and finally he crushed it on the surface of the table and took another smell.

"Oh my God, it _does_ smell like coffee, doesn't it?"

Since Melony had done the same thing with another bean as she was dressing back in her quarters, she knew what he smelled, and she nodded.

"As close as I can tell it does – and I'm probably an expert."

"Have you had any of the scientists check it out?" Sheppard asked, more interested in hearing about the cavern and lava tube she'd found – although he definitely was interested in knowing if it was coffee. That would be a real morale booster. "You know, compared it to a real coffee bean?"

"I handed a few over to Zalinka and a few others and asked them to check it for me. They said it wouldn't take long to see if it's coffee – or a relative – and to see if there are any additives in the bean that might be harmful – just in case."

Of course, she could drink it regardless…

She felt Talon's snort of amusement.

"So tell me about this cavern," Weir requested. "Is it really something you think you might be able to use?"

Melony nodded again.

"It'll depend on how it weathered the rain – which means I need to return fairly soon and see if it's flooded out – but if that's something that can dealt with, then, yeah… I think so."

"I'd like to go with you and check out these coffee bushes…" McKay said.

No big surprise there, but Melony had expected interest in this trip, and had already decided that she'd have others come with her if they wanted to. Of course, keeping her secret lab a secret might be a little harder if everyone knew where it was, but they had a right to know what she was up to and where – especially since she was probably going to need a bit of help getting the place set up – and that meant 'borrowing' an engineer or two if she could.

"That's fine."

"I'd like to see this lava tube," Sheppard told her.

"Aren't lava flows inherently dangerous?" Weir asked. "Are you so certain that this cavern won't cave in on you in the future?"

Wasn't she a bright little ray of sunshine?

Melony shrugged.

"There's no way of knowing how long it's been there, but it seemed fairly stable to me. Of course, I'll know more once I take a Jumper and use the sensors to check out the ground nearby, but so far it looks all right. You're welcomed to come along with us…"

Weir shook her head; if Sheppard was going, she'd better stay put – just in case something did happen and they needed help sent to them.

"When are you going back?"

Melony looked at her watch, doing some quick math.

"It's the middle of the night there, so we'll wait at least until lunch time here. Maybe a little later. I don't want to do any exploring in the dark if I can avoid it."

"Well, then, that'll give Zalinka time to decide if your beans are coffee, so we'll know if we can harvest some of them and see about supplementing our own dwindling supply."

Melony nodded. It would also give her time to take care of some unfinished business. She'd left Carson's quarters rather abruptly that morning – mainly because she just wasn't sure what to say to him. That was an issue that was going to have to be resolved, she'd decided while she was showering that morning as she'd been waiting for her coffee to brew. It was too painful for her to continue avoiding him – even though she wasn't sure how she felt when she was with him, either. She needed to stop running from it, though, and see him in the light of the day – face to face. That was the only way she was going to know…

She stood up, effectively ending the briefing.

"Major, you choose who you want to bring. I'll meet you and the team right after lunch."

She left the briefing room, intending to go find Carson – and ended up almost running him over. He'd been waiting for her near the door. He looked as uncertain as she felt, and it made her want to hug him and tell him everything was going to be okay between them. She didn't, though. Instead she quelled the pang of nervousness she felt and met his gaze.

"Can we go someplace and talk?"

He nodded.

"I'd like that."


	41. 41

"You could have joined the briefing," She told him as they headed towards her quarters. It wasn't a place they agreed to go, it was simply the direction Melony turned – probably just a desire to be someplace familiar to her.

He shrugged.

"I didn't want to interrupt, and I woke up late."

"You were sleeping soundly when I left," she agreed.

"I wish you would have woken me…" he said as they reached her door and she opened it, gesturing for him to go in first. "I was hoping to talk to you…"

She headed for her coffee pot, and the fresh pot of coffee she'd made that morning before leaving for the briefing.

"I was going to, but I chickened out," she admitted. She poured him a cup of coffee, and then another for herself, and motioned for him to have a seat. Since the only place to sit was on her bed, he did, but just on the edge.

"Why?"

She shrugged.

"I wasn't ready to face you just then." She looked down into her cup. "I'm not _positive_ I'm ready to face you now."

He felt his heart sink, and he looked up at her from his pot on the bed.

"You're not afraid of me, are you?" He couldn't handle that.

She shook her head.

"No. I'm _uncomfortable_ around you…" She sighed and sat down beside him, close to him, but not touching. "I don't know what to expect from you next…"

"I'm not going to do anything."

"I'm not worried about you doing anything." Talon would never allow it – even if Melony was taken by surprise again.

"I don't know what to say to make things all right between us," he told her, looking at her. She could see the pain in his blue eyes, and felt a stab of guilt and pain herself. "I never wanted this to happen…"

"Me, either…" She leaned slightly against him, resting her cheek against his upper arm, almost on his shoulder, and Carson brought his free hand up to touch the side of he face for an instant before lowering it again in case she didn't want to be touched.

"I love you." He told her. "Whatever it takes to make you feel better near me, that's what I'll do."

She felt the sting of tears, but quelled them. Now wasn't the time to cry. She'd been doing enough of that lately.

"I love you, too."

He turned and looked at her, utterly surprised at the admission, and when she saw the shock in his expression she couldn't help but smile – although it wasn't much of a smile.

"You're surprised?"

"I'm surprised you're willing to say it," he told her. "After-"

"What happened doesn't change my feelings," she said, softly, the smile fading. "I _do_ love you." Which was one of the reasons he'd been able to hurt her so completely. Rodney McKay never would have had this affect on her.

"How do I fix things?" He asked her. She had to know how he could make it better between them. _He_ didn't have a clue.

She shook her head.

"I don't know, Carson… this is new for me, too…" She sighed, closing her eyes, and trying to relax against him. "You could try holding me. I'd like that." And she hoped he would, too.

He set his coffee cup on the floor and pulled her into his arms, gently gathering her close as he turned slightly to bring her up against his chest and tucking her under his chin as he was so fond of doing. When she didn't pull away, he tightened his grip on her just a bit, and she could feel him shaking just a little. And felt guilty for making him feel like he had to walk on eggshells around her. One hand was still holding her coffee cup, but the other was free, and she wrapped it around his hip, shifting just a little against him so she was more comfortable.

"Are you all right?" He asked, loosening his grip.

She nodded and turned her head slightly, pressing her lips lightly against his bare neck to reassure him. In response, she felt his arms tightening just a bit, and she sighed at the closeness she'd missed.

"I'm going back to the planet to check on the cavern we found." She told him, her mouth still close to his neck.

He nodded, feeling her warm breath on his skin and loving the close contact – even though he had no intention of doing anything but hold her.

"I heard." Meaning he'd been listening to the briefing even though he hadn't interrupted by joining it.

"Would you like to come?" She asked.

He pulled away just enough so that he could look down at her, his expression surprised once more. "You want me to come?"

"If you want to go," she amended. "It's not a very exciting place, and if it's raining, we'll probably get drenched, because there's a hole in the top of my cavern. Are you claustrophobic?"

"Not that I know of."

"If you want to come, you're invited," she repeated. "It might help you feel a little less left out – and I'd like your company."

"I'd like that." He told her, hugging her close once more and daring to press a kiss against the top of her head, brushing his bearded chin against her soft hair. "When are you going?"

"After lunch."

"What are you going to do until then?"

"Do you have anything you need to do?"

He shook his head, and even though she didn't see it, she could feel it.

"My schedule's free…"

"Will you stay with me, then? For a while?" She turned and brushed another kiss against his neck, and this time he lifted his chin to give her better access – and in a silent plea for her to kiss him again.

"I'd love to, Melony," he whispered, as he felt her kiss him again in response to his movement. He hugged her close, and then released his right arm from around her and brushed his fingers against her cheek, watching her as she lifted her eyes to meet his. "Can I kiss you?"

There was only the slightest of hesitations before she nodded.

"Yes."

He bent his head and brushed his lips against hers, the touch electrifying. It wasn't a deep kiss, but it didn't need to be. There was no way he was going to rush her – not this time – and there was no reason to. She was giving him a chance to start again, and he wasn't going to mess it up.

She sighed against his lips, the vibration of her lips against his pleasant and as wonderful as the sound of contentment coming from her. He pulled away and brushed his hand against her cheek once more.

"I love you," he repeated.

"I love you, too, Carson."

He bent his head and brushed another gentle kiss against her lips.


	42. 42

They spent the rest of the morning together. They didn't do anything more than hold each other and occasionally share a tender kiss, but it was more than Carson had expected she'd ever want to do again, and it was more than enough for Melony at that place and time. She wasn't ready to do more than that. She needed time to get used to the fact that he was really the same guy that he had been, and a chance to sort out her emotions while she was with him.

"When are we leaving?" He asked her, running his fingers lightly through her pale hair.

"After lunch."

"Are you hungry?"

She shook her head, but sighed and pulled herself out of his arms – almost reluctantly.

"I'm not, but we _should_ go get some lunch – and see if Major Sheppard has his team together." They might need her advice on what to take. "Besides, I want to see what the scientists have found out about those beans."

"What should I bring with me?" He asked her. "How long are you planning on being there?"

"A change of clothes – just in case we end up drenched, or end up staying longer than I expect we will – and whatever you want to bring by way of medical supplies. I have a first aid kit in my pack that I'll bring, and the Jumper has one, too, so whatever is missing from there…" He would know better than she would what he'd want to take. "I'd dress for rain, though. Just in case."

He nodded and rolled off her bed and stood up.

"I'll go pack and meet you in the commissary."

"Okay."

He headed for the door, then turned and pulled her carefully into his arms again, giving her a quick hug before turning and leaving.

_Inviting him along was a good idea_

You approve?

She had assumed Talon wouldn't want him anywhere near her.

_I didn't say that. _Talon was not so ready to forgive and forget. He was still having trouble with the forgive part._I just said it was a good idea. If he's not going to be able to spend as much time with you as he'd like to, then it's good for him to at least know a little about the place you're spending all your time. It might cut down on future hard feelings_

"That's what I was thinking when I invited him…"

_I know _

"Smart ass…"

There was a chuckle, and then he reminder her that she needed to do a little packing herself – and she wanted to go talk with Zalinka and the other scientists who were checking out her beans.

OOOOOOOOO

"We've only done preliminary tests so far, Colonel…"

"Yeah? And?"

The three scientists looked at each other, and then at her. And shrugged.

"It looks like coffee to us. We'd like you to bring us more, so we can try grinding it up and actually brewing it – to see what happens."

She nodded.

"I can do that – as long as you make sure you really check it thoroughly before anyone drinks it."

They all smiled.

"We were planning on letting _you_ have the first sip."

"That way you can tell us if there's anything to avoid in it."

"And if we need cream or sugar."

Mitchell smiled.

"Fair enough. I'll bring you some more beans when I get back from the next trip." She handed over the packet with the remaining beans from her first trip. "You guys can have those to get started. I'll probably be back tomorrow – maybe the next day."

"We'll be ready for the next step in trials by then." They promised. They, of course, were just as eager as she was to find a new source of coffee. The dwindling supply had been a concern to all of them as well.

"Thanks."

She left them and headed to the commissary.

OOOOOOOO

Sheppard didn't need any advice from her – and Melony hadn't really expected him to. He was becoming fairly experienced at leading off-world missions – considering that up until a few days before the expedition he hadn't even known there was such a thing as off-world – and he had everyone already assembled and packed before he'd allowed them to head to the commissary for lunch. Even better, he had them all sitting together so that when Melony came into the room she knew who was going without needing to ask.

The only one she didn't see was Kale, and she really wasn't sure if he was planning on going or not. She hadn't missed how uncomfortable he'd been in the lava tube, and in the cavern, and wouldn't have been surprised if he didn't invite himself to come along. Besides, he'd been as soaked as she was, and he might want to just hang out and be warm for a while.

However, Lieutenant Ford and the others were planning on going, and already in full gear. Rain jackets were sitting beside each of them, draped across the benches that served as seats for the tables and despite the fact that Mitchell had reported nothing dangerous on A-08, they were all still wearing Kevlar vests and side arms. Teyla, McKay and Ford, along with Sheppard and Beckett would make up the team that would make the initial survey with the Jumper. Melony really didn't need more people than that just then – although she'd want to add a few people later, once she knew whether this was the place she wanted to use permanently.

_You know, it needs a better name if we decide to use it…_

What's wrong with the name it has now?

_A-08? How boring is that?_

She hid her smile, although she couldn't hide her amusement from him.

What would _you_ like to call it?

_Talonville _

No.

_Talontown_? 

There's no town.

He pouted, and Melony couldn't help the chuckle that escaped. Talon cracked her up so often, but especially when he was in the mood he was in now.

We'll come up with something, she promised him as she walked over to join the others, all of them greeting her with smiles as well.

_Something impressive_

Something… _normal_.

Bah.


	43. 43

"Where do you want me to land?" Sheppard asked, looking over at Mitchell who was sitting in the co-pilot seat of the Jumper.

They were flying over the lava flow now, and Melony was pleased by how easy it had been to find – and by the fact that once they found it, Sheppard and the others didn't seem to believe that there was anything under the lava that could be even suggested as a hidden base. That was all well and good to Mitchell and Talon, because if those who knew it was there didn't believe it could be there, then it would really throw off those who didn't have a clue.

"Do a quick scan of the flow and see if the sensors can find the cavern." She told him, looking over her shoulder at the others in the Jumper. Ford, McKay, Carson and Teyla were all dressed in raingear – and it was still raining, so they needed it. Kale had opted not to come once the MALP showed them that it was raining. Since he couldn't fly in the rain easily, he wouldn't be of much use as a scout, and with that many people along Melony didn't need him in wolf form to protect her. He'd stay and if they needed him, they could call.

A heads-up display showed the lava flow ahead of them, but nothing on the sensors showed the cavern. They did, however, show the ravine that the lava tube opened out to. Mitchell pointed to it on the heads-up display and then towards where it was on the ground below them.

"Land in the ravine, Major," she ordered. "We'll walk the lava tube and get to the cavern, then figure out a way to mark the cavern from the inside."

_It's just as well that it doesn't come up on the sensors_, Talon told her. _We won't have to worry about anyone looking for it_

True.

That could only work to their advantage.

Sheppard set the Jumper down in the ravine, and Melony looked back at the others once more.

"None of you are claustrophobic?"

They all shook their heads.

She nodded, and popped the back hatch from the control panel by the co-pilot seat.

"Let's go, then."

The rain that was falling was still the fairly gentle spring-like showers that were seen so often on Earth. There wasn't anything torrential about them, even though if it rained steadily enough for long enough it could do just as much damage as a serious storm could. As it was, it was just a cold nuisance, and one that they wouldn't have to worry about once they got in the tube. She found the opening easily – which was something that would have to be fixed – and led the others inside. Since there was only one way to go – up – there was no chance of them getting lost, but Sheppard lagged at the very end, anyways, just to keep them from getting separated.

All of them had flashlights, and they were all turned on as soon as they turned the first slight turn and lost all light coming from the outside.

"Will a Jumper fit in here?" Ford asked, shining his light up at the ceiling of the lava tube.

Sheppard shook his head, even though no one could see it.

"If the drives were retracted it would, but you wouldn't have any propulsion, so you'd just end up blocking the way."

"A Wraith dart will, though," Melony said. "They're smaller, and should be easily maneuvered in here."

"Will it fit in your cavern?" Beckett asked, frowning at the reminder that she wasn't anywhere near done with her mad scheme to find and destroy the Wraith. If she was going to get herself a dart, she was going to have to face the Wraith to get it, and a mission like that had deadly or suicide written all over it. He was just starting to get her to trust him again. He didn't want to lose her.

"A _Jumper_ would fit in the cavern," she told him. "Easily. You'll see."

"I wonder what these walls are made of?" McKay mused, running his hand along the rough texture of the lava tube as he walked.

"Lava." Ford answered.

McKay rolled his eyes, but no one could see that, either. There was no mistaking the sarcasm in his voice, however.

"I know that, Lieutenant. But lava is just molten rock combined with whatever else it happens to melt and pick up on its way. Which means that different planets will undoubtedly create different kinds of lava, since not all planets have the same substances in their cores as Earth. For all we know, this lava could be the cooled remains of a half million butterfly wings."

Melony smiled at the statement, even though she had to admit she hadn't thought to pose such a question. What was it made of?

_We'll look into it later,_ Talon promised her. _Once we decide if this is the place we are going to use_

She nodded, and kept walking as the others speculated around her about what could be contained in the rock.

OOOOOOOOO

Eventually, they came to the cavern – although this time the gray clouds outside kept much light from the crack above from filtering in.

"Wow…"

Melony smiled as the others all gathered around the opening, shining their lights around them, obviously impressed by the size of the place.

"Where does the heat come from?" Teyla asked, curiously. It was much warmer here than it was outside, even though the cavern was fairly large and you wouldn't think it would be able to retain much heat.

"We figure there's some kind of thermal activity somewhere," Melony said. "It'd be enough to heat the place, and-"

"If you found the source, you could harness that and use it for your power needs," McKay said.

Mitchell nodded.

"What? How could you do that?" Ford asked.

"All heat is in energy," McKay explained. "Enough heat, harnessed the proper way, and you could power Atlantis."

"Although not the shields," Sheppard said, making it more of a statement than a question. Rodney nodded, though.

"Yes, not the shields."

"Where do the other tubes go?" Carson asked, shining his light towards one of the other ones – one that was almost as large as the one they'd just exited.

Melony shrugged.

"We haven't explored it all that much yet. That was the whole point of coming back – that and to make sure it wasn't being flooded out."

While it was clear there was water dripping somewhere close by, it was also obvious that there weren't any standing pools of water in the cavern. That was also a good sign.

"Well, let's split up and take a look around, shall we?" Sheppard suggested. "I'd like to see the rest of the place."

"Sounds good."


	44. 44

Sheppard let Mitchell split them up. The Major didn't know how she wanted to do things, and since this was her project, it was only fair to let her run it. A slight gesture from him told her to do what she wanted, so she did. She split them up in groups of two; Sheppard and Beckett, Teyla and Ford, and her and McKay.

She could see the disappointment in Beckett's eyes when she made the assignments, but she ignored it. There was a time to be distracted and a time not to be – and Carson was a distraction. For more than one reason. _Her_ feelings for him aside, _Talon_ still didn't trust him – and pretty much didn't want to be near him – and although the symbiote was doing his best to allow Melony to make her own decisions about the doctor, he couldn't hide that contempt from his host. They were just too close.

"We're going to go check out this tube," She told the others, pointing to one of the four tubes that led from the cavern – or into it, depending on how you viewed it. "You guys check out the other two – forget about that little one for now – and keep in contact."

There were assorted nods, and Melony and McKay headed into the largest of the tubes – which was big enough that they didn't have to duck, but that was about it.

"You won't get a dart in here," Rodney said, shining his light above them and running his hand along the ceiling – which was easy to reach.

"Nope."

"What are we looking for, then?"

"I don't know… I just want to see where it goes."

"Has it occurred to you that it might 'go' to a volcano?"

She smiled.

"That's not likely, but yes. I don't plan on walking that far. I just want-"

"Wow."

They both stopped and looked at the small cavern they'd come upon. There was light in here, because the far wall was glowing, and giving off a warmth that made sweat bead on their foreheads immediately.

"Lava?" Melony asked.

McKay shook his head.

"It's not hot enough to be lava – or if it is, then the walls are insulating us from the worst of the heat. I'm not a geologist, but it's nothing I've ever heard of or seen before."

_Maybe there's another lava flow somewhere on the other side of the wall_

"Talon thinks there might be a lava flow on the other side of the wall."

McKay shrugged, and looked back at her.

"Are you absolutely certain you want to put your secret base in the middle of an active lava flow?"

Melony walked over to the wall and pulled her knife from the sheath on her belt. She tapped it against the wall and frowned. It sounded solid to her, even though it looked like it was going to melt and run off.

"The wall is solid."

McKay didn't need her to tell him that; he could hear just fine. He walked over to stand beside her, and put his hand close to the wall. The heat was intense.

"That's crazy. If it's that hot, then why isn't it _melting_?"

He actually sounded annoyed.

"Maybe it has a higher melting point than we're used to…" Melony said, shrugging. "You said yourself it could be made out of butterfly wings..."

McKay ignored that.

"If it conducts heat as well as it seems to, we could have just found your power source."

Melony had been thinking the same thing.

"It wouldn't take much to rig something up…"

"An infant could do it." McKay agreed.

She looked around and saw another tube going off in another direction from the little cavern.

"There's another tube, but the walls are too hot to go any further, I think." Not without protective gear.

"I agree." McKay was still looking at the wall, a distracted expression on his face. He pulled out his knife as well and started poking at the all with the point. It just made a dull noise. "It's definitely solid…"

"Let's go see if the others have found anything."

Rodney nodded, and the two of them turned and headed back the way they'd come, wiping sweat from their faces. One thing was certain; Melony and Talon wouldn't freeze in their little lab.

OOOOOOOOO

When they returned to the main cavern – as Melony was beginning to think of it – they found it was empty. Since they knew that no one was in the smallest of the tubes, they picked one of the others at random, and headed for it, figuring to have a look around.

"You know," McKay said as they walked. "It's really a good thing you're not claustrophobic, because this place is about as underground as you can get without actually being underground."

"I'm beginning to wonder just how far it goes," Melony said. "The surface of the flow only goes for a few miles, but these tunnels – tubes – could go on for far longer. Grass and trees could be covering the rest of it."

"It's always possible that there was some huge eruption hundreds of years ago that leveled the place," McKay said. "Grass and other plantlife would have easily grown back by then. If given enough time, and the wind carries enough soil to promote growth to the rest of the flow, the entire flow could be covered in grass and trees once more and no one would ever know there was a lava bed under it at all. Especially since it's not reading on the sensors."

"Then it's a good thing we didn't wait another hundred years," Mitchell said, smiling. "Otherwise, we would-"

A light shining in the tunnel ahead of them drew her attention, and a moment later Ford and Teyla came into view, their flashlights bobbing with every step they took. The Lieutenant smiled at them, and Melony thought he looked a little excited.

"Find anything?" He asked.

"Yeah. A steam room. How about you?"

"Come and look," he said, Teyla already turning and heading back deeper into the tube. "You tell me."

Curious, Melony looked at McKay, who shrugged. What could they have found? It was, after all, tunnels and hot walls. There wasn't all that much more to the place. They both followed, curious.


	45. 45

Carson Beckett wasn't a military man. Never had been a military man and really, never planned on being a military man. His only experience when it came to off-world missions were mostly the scenarios that Melony and Major Sheppard had set up a few months before to start teaching him and the other non military personnel how to defend themselves in the off chance that Atlantis was taken over by hostiles. To say he hadn't excelled at those scenarios would be kind – even though he knew that he knew more than he had started with. But it wasn't a big shock to himself – or to Major Sheppard – that he wasn't exactly following normal protocol for a scouting trip. Which in this case, simply meant he wasn't keeping quiet on their exploring foray.

"What do you think we'll find?" He asked Sheppard for the fourth time in as many minutes, his light shining along the ceiling and walls around them as they walked through the tunnel.

"Don't know." Sheppard answered – again. He wasn't really expecting any trouble – they were in a lava tube, after all, and he'd never heard of the great giant lava lizards or anything – so he didn't bother telling Beckett to keep quiet. Although he did wish he'd come up with a different question. "I just hope nothing finds _us_."

Yeah, _that_ hadn't been nice, but he couldn't help himself.

Beckett's light shined in his face a second later, and although John was blinded by it he couldn't miss the slight worry in the doctor's voice.

"Do you think there's something in here?"

The light went from Sheppard's face to the walls, and then to the ceiling, and John couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

"Nah, it looks pretty safe to me," He said. "And Colonel Mitchell and Kale were both here before and didn't see anything. I'm pretty sure it's safe."

Carson frowned at that reminder that Kale was here with Melony, but he didn't feel the jealousy he would have felt before. That wasn't something he'd ever feel again. Melony was her own person, and whatever she wanted to do she could. It wasn't any of his business. He just hoped that what she wanted to do included him some day, because he really-

"Hey, Doc, watch out."

Sheppard's voice pulled him from his thoughts, and Carson looked over his shoulder. While he'd been thinking about Melony, he'd increased his pace a little, and had started around a bend in the tube. It wasn't a sharp corner – there wasn't such a thing here, it seemed – it was just a slight turn that blocked Sheppard's view of where Carson was going, and Sheppard didn't like that. He was fully aware that Mitchell had given him the responsibility of watching the doctor – even though she hadn't actually said anything – and he didn't want him to get out of sight. Especially since you never knew what might be around the corner.

The warning came too late. Even as Carson looked back over his shoulder, he felt himself step off solid ground and start falling. Completely oblivious to where he'd been walking – his light had been checking out the walls and ceiling, not the floor – Carson stepped right into a large crack in the floor of the lava tube.

Luckily, it wasn't deep – no more than ten feet – unluckily, he landed wrong and felt pain lancing along his leg from his foot – or ankle, he wasn't sure. He landed in a heap with a not so muffled curse, and instantly had Sheppard's flashlight shining down in his eyes.

"You alright?"

He looked up, and then looked around for his flashlight. The crack he'd fallen into was nearly eight feet wide, and the light was close by, so he stretched his hand out and grabbed it, and shined it down at his foot, which was throbbing something terrible.

"Doc?" Sheppard could see he was moving around, and he didn't see any blood, but he didn't like not being answered. "Are you all-"

"I hurt my ankle," Carson told him, shining the light up at Sheppard for a moment before putting it back on his foot. It was already swelling he could tell. "I'm not sure I can put any weight on it."

"Hold still," John ordered. He keyed his radio.

"Colonel Mitchell, this is Sheppard. Come in."

There was a lot of static and not a whole lot else. Certainly not the answer he'd hoped for.

Shit.

He assessed the situation and knew that without a rope there wasn't much chance of him getting Beckett out of the crack by himself. Especially since you never knew if there was more wrong than a simple hurt foot.

"The walls must be blocking the radios," he called down to the doctor. "If I leave you alone will you be all right until I bring back help?"

There wasn't much choice, Carson knew. He wasn't going to be able to climb out on his own, and he didn't want Sheppard jumping down in here to help him when they weren't sure he'd be able to get out. That would just leave them both stuck there. As much as he didn't like the idea of being left in the dark by himself, he knew it was necessary.

"Aye, just don't be gone long, okay?"

Sheppard nodded.

"I'll be right back."

At least there wasn't ay chance of him getting lost or anything. He took another quick look at Beckett to make sure he didn't see any blood, and then headed back down the lava tube the way they'd come.

OOOOOOOO

"Don't go that way," Ford said, pointing at another tunnel as he, Mitchell, Teyla and McKay came up to it. "We haven't explored that one yet, and didn't want to get turned around. We figured we could check it out later."

"This place is filled with tunnels," Teyla said as Ford led them all further down the main tube they'd been exploring. This tunnel was starting to get brighter, though, and before Melony or Rodney could comment on her statement – Rodney with some kind of long-winded explanation, Melony with a shrug of her shoulder – they found themselves suddenly ducking around a large mossy rock and then outside being rained on.

"Wow."

She and McKay looked around them while Ford and Teyla looked on with smug expressions on their faces. Their tube – at least this portion of it – had opened out to exactly what Mitchell and McKay had been discussing. A grassy, tree-filled slope that looked nothing like the lava flow, even though they knew it was still under the dirt they were now standing on. There were bushes of all sorts and a lot of undergrowth – and Mitchell noticed that several of the bushes included the coffee ones, heavy with berries.

"Wow…" She said again, looking back the way they'd come. The entrance on this end was a lot smaller than the one in the ravine, and could be easily hidden if she wanted to.

"It'd be a great bolt hole," Ford said.

"Yeah, it would," she agreed.

"Bolt hole?" Teyla asked. McKay was glad she did, because he didn't know what that meant, either, and he didn't want to admit it.

"A way out if someone comes knocking that she can't handle," Ford explained. Which wasn't much of an explanation, but Teyla nodded her understanding, anyways.

"It's also close to water," Mitchell said, noticing that there was a stream of some sort at the bottom of the incline – which wasn't really much of an incline. That would save them the trouble of bringing in water from a different source. "Good find, Lieutenant. Teyla."

Ford grinned.

"Well, you know, it's all part of my superb tracking skills, and I owe it all to-"

He was interrupted by a crashing noise behind them, and Mitchell and Ford both wheeled, Ford's P-90 and Melony's Beretta both coming up in a flash.

"It's me!" Sheppard's hands came up, and he scowled at them for pointing their guns at him – even though he understood completely. He was just a bit out of sorts, since Mitchell hadn't been in the tunnel she'd started in and he'd been forced to run a lot further than he'd expected to find help.

Melony slid her Beretta back into her holster, and frowned, noticing immediately that Carson wasn't with him. Before she could ask, though, John spoke up.

"I need a hand," he said, wiping the sweat and rain from his face. "Beckett took a fall."


	46. 46

"He wasn't watching where he was going and fell into a big crack that cuts across the tunnel we were checking out…" Sheppard explained to the group as they headed back into the lava tube and out of the rain. "He's awake and seems fine, but he's hurt his ankle, so I figured I'd better get help rather than try and pull him out alone and maybe hurt something he doesn't even realize is injured."

Mitchell nodded her agreement to that, biting back her next comment.

_Don't you dare blame him…_

I wasn't going to.

_You were thinking about it_

I know, but I wouldn't have said it. It's not his fault. I should have-

_No, you shouldn't have. You were right to put him with Sheppard – he'd have been a distraction if he was with us_

And you don't like him, and don't want him near me.

_And I_ don't _like him_, Talon agreed. _And would rather he stayed in the bottom of that crack for a few days to think about what he's done_

The symbiote wasn't afraid to express himself, and never had been, and he never lied to Melony. She didn't mind, because she was the same way – and besides, she knew he loved her, and wallowed in that love on many occasions.

He's _been_ thinking about it, she reminded him. Remember that apology?

There was a purely mental sniff, but it made Mitchell smile – even through her worry for Carson.

You hold a grudge longer than anyone I've ever met…

_I'm older than you. I've had more time to become jaded. Besides, you haven't completely forgiven him, either_

I'm trying, she said, glad that they were walking in an area that she'd been before, because she couldn't concentrate completely on where she was going while she was having this conversation with Talon – which had been one of the reasons Carson hadn't been with her. The forgiving part is easier than the forgetting… She felt a pang of hurt at the memory of what had occurred between her and Carson, and instantly felt Talon overwhelm her bad memory with waves of his own love for her, smothering them completely and literally blocking her thoughts of anything else for a moment.

_I'm sorry, Hot Shot_, he told her, truly contrite for bringing up the subject in the first place. _I didn't mean to upset you_

You didn't. How could she be upset with that kind of unconditional love swelling her heart? Too bad Talon was a symbiote and not an actual guy.

She heard his laughter in her head, and grinned.

_You'd never get anything accomplished_

Well, _that_ wouldn't be so-

"He's just around this bend, I think…"

Mitchell was brought out of her inner conversation by Sheppard's voice, and realized that they'd managed to make it all the way across the main cavern and into the tube that Sheppard and Beckett had been exploring without her even realizing it.

"Doctor Beckett?" Sheppard called, shining his light on the ground, watching for the crack so none of them stumbled into it as well.

The reply was immediate, much to everyone's relief.

"Here!"

His voice sounded strong – and filled with relief.

The group gathered at the edge of the crack, and five flashlights shined down on Beckett, who was looking up at them from where he was sitting with his back to the sheer wall of the crack and his leg stretched out in front of him.

"How are you doing?" McKay asked, shining his light on Beckett's foot.

"Peachy."

Sitting alone in the dark in a strange place for any length of time can do wonders for a man's sarcasm, Beckett knew now.

Melony smiled, and looked at Ford.

"You and I can probably boost him up to the others…"

"Yeah."

Mitchell looked down at Carson.

"No other injuries besides the foot?"

"No."

"You're sure?"

"As sure as I can be without an x-ray machine. Do you have one handy?"

_That bas-_

He's under a bit of stress, Talon, Melony told him. I've said far worse, for less reason.

Since that was true, and Talon knew it, he didn't say anything else, but she could feel his simmering sullenness at the Doctor's cheeky response. Nothing carried a good grudge further than another insult, after all.

"Come on, Lieutenant."

She took off her pack and sat down on the edge of the crack, then turned slightly and hooked her fingers on the ledge beside her and lowered herself over the edge. Since she had Talon's help she was a lot stronger than she'd been before her blending with him – which was kind of nice she had to admit – and it was a simple matter to hang for a moment, and then drop the three feet or so to the floor of the crack.

She moved out of the way as Ford came down in a similar manner, and they both went over to Beckett, who'd been watching them. Melony knelt down on one side, and Ford knelt on the other.

"Is it broken?"

"I don't know." He told her, wincing when Ford ran his hand along the swollen ankle. "It hurts, though."

"I bet…"

"How did you get wet?" He asked, noticing she was dripping water on him, and that Ford's jacket was beaded with water.

"I'll tell you later." She said. "Should we splint it?"

He shook his head.

"The boot is enough right now. It's not going to go anywhere."

"You're the doctor… Lieutenant?"

They both took hold of Carson – one hand reaching under his armpit on the side they were on and the other grabbing his belt.

"This might hurt," Melony warned him as they heaved him to his feet as carefully as they could.

He bit down on the gasp of pain, and put his arms over their shoulders, taking all his weight off the ankle in question. In the light of the three flashlights shining down on them, Melony could see his face was pale, but there wasn't anything they could do about it. Even if they had a stretcher, it'd still hurt him to move him.

"You guys ready?" She called up. A moment later, Sheppard and McKay were both on their stomachs with their hands hanging down, ready to take hold of Beckett's hands when Ford and Mitchell pushed him up.

Carson couldn't bite back the yelp of pain when his foot hit the stone wall as they maneuvered him up to the others, but he still managed to reach his hands up, and a moment later, Sheppard and McKay had him out of the pit and on the floor of the tunnel beside them.

"I hate holes…" he gasped, as Teyla knelt down next to him, still shining her light down the crack so Mitchell and Ford could see.

Melony looked at Ford.

"How's your vertical leap?"

"Probably better than yours," he told her, grinning. "I _am_ younger, and healthier, and better looking, and-"

"Going to _stay_ here if you keep that up."

He smiled, and made a stirrup out of his hand.

"Go on, Colonel."

She put her foot in his hands and he boosted her up to Sheppard and McKay, who grabbed her and easily pulled her out of the crack, then did the same when Ford leaped up and caught their hands a minute later.


	47. 47

"Elizabeth?"

Dr. Weir looked up from the report she'd been reading, and saw Kale standing at the door of the little room she called her office. The Light One was dressed in his clothing, but she flushed slightly when she saw him there.

"Kale…"

"Do you have a moment?"

"Actually… I… was…"

She faltered when he entered the office anyway, and closed the door behind him.

"Are you avoiding me?" He asked her, coming over to stand on the other side of the desk from where she was seated. "I've tried to talk to you several times since Colonel Mitchell and I returned from A-08, but you seem to always be in a hurry to go elsewhere…"

"I've been busy, Kale," she said, straightening the report, nervously, and then realizing that he deserved a little more than that. It wasn't Kale's fault that she was avoiding him, after all, and she didn't have any right to alienate him just because she wasn't sure how to deal with her own guilt. "Actually… yes, I've been… avoiding you – a little."

"A little?"

"A lot."

"Why? Because of what happened between us?"

Oh, he was perceptive!

Elizabeth nodded.

"It shouldn't have happened. I shouldn't have allowed myself to-"

"To feel pleasure? To enjoy the sensa-"

"Yes."

Kale frowned.

"Because of your mate to be?"

"Yes. I betrayed his trust in me by… being with you."

"You enjoyed it."

Oh, there'd been no doubt about that. Weir flushed, even then able to remember how it had felt to-

"I did, but it was wrong of me."

"How was it wrong?"

"It just is. Was."

"Would he really care so much? Would he really be angry that you had found someone to hold you for a while? If you were my mate, and I couldn't be there to hold you, I would prefer you were happy in the arms of another, rather than alone. How do you know he doesn't feel the same way?"

She sighed. She didn't know – and couldn't ask him, because she was cut off from him. For all she knew, Simon had been so angry with her – or upset with her – for leaving him without an explanation that he'd immediately started looking for someone else to love. That thought hurt, but she'd known when she left that it was a possibility, and one that was worth it to come here and see this wondrous place. Of course, there was always the possibility that he was home waiting for her, too.

"I don't know, Kale…" She told him honestly. "I just feel…"

He came around the desk and pulled her into his arms, and cradled her gently. Knowing it was wrong of her, but suddenly needing the comfort, Elizabeth rested her cheek against his chest and closed her eyes.

"You don't allow yourself to feel often enough, Elizabeth," he chided, gently. "You don't always have to be in control of things, you know?"

"Yes I do…" She said. "It's my job to be."

"Well, _I_ think you need a distraction."

She looked up at him, already starting to pull away, but he laughed and held her close.

"Not _that_. Unless you desire it. I was thinking more along the lines of some dinner and maybe a walk. You can tell me of your mate. He must be a special person to have gained such love from someone as special as yourself."

She hesitated, but found that the offer appealed to her, surprisingly. The Light One was easy to talk to and a good listener, and she needed someone to talk to – and the few people she could open up to around here were off hunting through lava flows doing God only knew what.

"I'd like that, Kale. Thank you."

He released her and she stood up, and the two of them left her office and headed for the commissary.

OOOOOOOOOOO

"So… what did you guys find out?" Sheppard asked Mitchell, who was walking beside him. The two were walking in the front of the others, holding a flashlight in each hand to light the way for Ford and McKay, who were supporting Carson between them. Teyla was walking behind them, her own flashlight also illuminating the way – although from behind.

"This place is about as perfect as I could have asked for, Major," Melony said, feeling smug. "McKay and I found a heat source that will most likely be able to supply me with all the energy I'll need to power whatever equipment I'll need, and there's plenty of room. The place is as hidden as I could ask for, so if someone comes looking for me, they're not going to be able to easily find me."

"And on the first try, huh?"

"Yup." They walked out of the smaller tube and into the main cavern, where Ford and McKay set Carson down for a minute so they could take a quick break. "Someone up there truly loves me."

Teyla shined her flashlight towards the ceiling and looked up, and Melony and Sheppard both grinned.

"It's a figure of speech, Teyla," John told her. "It means… that… someone… up there loves her."

He shrugged helplessly, looking over at Melony. He didn't feel like trying to explain it.

"It means I got lucky." Melony said.

"It just gets better if those beans are really coffee, eh?" McKay said, rubbing his arm.

"My life will be complete if they are." She knelt down next to Carson, who was pale and sweating – and not just because of the heat of the cavern. "How's the ankle?"

"It's fine…"

Yeah, it looked like it.

"We'll get you back to Atlantis soon," she promised him.

"I know." He grimaced. "I'm sorry I cut short your expedit-"

"Don't be." She looked over at the others. "Are we ready?"

There were various nods, and Sheppard came over to take the other side of Beckett. It was their turn to support him so the others could have a break.

"Next time we go on a routine exploration mission," He said as he and Mitchell heaved Beckett up into a fireman's carry between them. "I vote we bring a lighter doctor."

Melony smiled, and the hand that she had around his waist tightened slightly in a light hug so Carson would know they were teasing. She needn't have worried, though. The Major's tone of voice was light and cheerful, and even through the pain of his ankle – and yeah, it was killing him – he knew Sheppard didn't mean it. He leaned his head lightly against Melony's shoulder and closed his eyes, trying to ignore the fact that his leg was going to fall off any minute.


	48. 48

"You know, maybe you should have brought one of those Goa'uld healing devices with you when you came through the gate," Rodney said as they settled Carson in the back of the Jumper.

Melony scowled.

"I _did_. It's called _Talon_."

"I meant-"

"I really didn't expect to need one," she said. "I can't use it on _myself_, and truth to tell, I honestly didn't expect you all to be there when I showed up."

Which they all _already_ knew, and just reminded Carson why she'd been so willing to leave Earth in the first place. And made him feel guilty again for causing her additional hurt to the pain that she had already suffered.

As Sheppard got into the pilot's seat of the Jumper, she waved Ford into the co-pilot's seat. She'd stay beside Carson. Teyla handed her the first aid kit that was stashed on the little ship, and Mitchell dug out a bottle of Tylenol and handed him a couple pills.

"Here," she said. "That'll take the edge off, hopefully."

He took them and swallowed them, and then accepted the canteen she offered him to wash them down.

"Thank you."

She nodded, looking at his ankle, which was badly swollen.

"Is there anything I can do?"

He shook his head.

"I'm sorry about the x-ray comment I made. It wasn't very-"

She shrugged, "Don't worry about it. I understand."

"You settled in back there, Colonel?" Sheppard called back, looking over his shoulder.

"Yeah, we're ready. Let's get out of here." She looked at McKay. "We've pretty much seen what we need to see, right?"

He nodded, pleased that she was asking him, because that meant she was going to allow him a chance to help set up her little secret base – and that meant that when the Wraith were defeated, he was going to have been a part of it. Which would probably net him a few phone numbers from impressed women all over the universe.

"We can set up a thermal generator in that hot room we found – it shouldn't take much to do it. Once _that's_ in place, it'll be a simple matter of bringing in the equipment you need – and there's plenty of diagnostic equipment to spare so you won't need to scrounge. After that…"

"Then I'll need to find a _dart_ to diagnose…"

He nodded. That wasn't something he could see happening – except that he'd heard enough about the defeat of the Goa'uld to know that there was no reason to underestimate her. He'd never have believed the Goa'uld could fall – who would have? – but they _had_, and maybe the Wraith could, too.

"Maybe you'll get lucky and find one laying around when you explore the rest of the planet. So far you've scored fairly well here so far."

She grinned. Wouldn't _that_ be nice?

"When are you going to start Wraith hunting?" Carson asked, as they felt the Jumper lift off the ground. Melony could see the worry in his eyes although it was obvious he was trying to hide it.

"Not until I have the lab set up," she told him – and McKay and Teyla, who were watching her and waiting for her answer as well. "There's no sense finding one until I have a place to put it. And even then, I'm not going to take it to the base right away. I'll stash it someplace in the woods – in case it's booby-trapped."

"Booby…?" Teyla frowned, uncertain what she meant.

"Set to explode if someone besides a Wraith tampers with it."

"We're close to the gate, Doc," Sheppard called back, interrupting them. "Won't be long now."

Carson nodded. The talk of the upcoming Wraith hunt was distracting him from his hurt ankle, but really, he'd rather think of the injury than think of Melony going off and getting herself killed.

She saw the odd look in his eyes and assumed it was from the pain of his foot, and set her hand reassuringly on his shoulder.

"You'll be fine."

He gave her a forced smile, which was more of a grimace. It wasn't himself he was worried about.

OOOOOOOOO

"It's Major Sheppard," Peter Grodin announced when the gate activated and the shield had gone up into place.

Weir nodded, and looked at her watch. She wasn't sure if they'd been gone long enough to have found anything or not, or if she should be worried that they'd run into some kind of trouble. Standing beside her, Kale smiled and rested his hand lightly on the small of her back – a gesture she could feel, but that no one else could see from the way they were standing.

"We found no dangerous creatures on the planet," he told her softly. "I'm sure they're fine."

"Lower the shield," she ordered, hoping he was right.

"Major Sheppard reports that he needs a medical team to the Jumper bay," Grodin reported almost immediately, dashing that hope.

"Who's hurt?"

"Beckett took a fall and hurt his ankle."

"That's it?"

Grodin shrugged.

"It's all he's reporting."

"Send a medical team to meet them." She looked at Kale, smiling slightly with relief, and far more comfortable with the Light One after their walk and talk that afternoon. "Would you like to come with me to meet them as well?"

"If I wouldn't be in the way…?"

"Of course not." She turned to Grodin; "I'll be in the Jumper bay if you need me."

He nodded, and she and Kale left the command center. She was interested in hearing if they'd found anything before the doctor's accident.


	49. 49

As much as she wanted to stay with him and see him to the infirmary, Mitchell knew that Carson was in good hands and that she wasn't needed. Had the injury been serious, she would have gone anyways, but it wasn't and she knew it. So instead, she stood beside Sheppard and the others as he was rolled away in a gurney, his ankle already being checked over by a member of his medical staff as they moved.

When they left, Weir and Kale walked in the same door, Elizabeth's gaze following the gurney for a moment, then coming to rest on Mitchell and the others.

"Is he all right?" She asked.

"He _will_ be," Sheppard said, speaking up since he was the one with Beckett when he'd taken the fall. "He fell in a hole, but it's just his ankle."

Weir nodded, looking at the others to make sure none of them carried any signs of injuries. When she saw that they were wet, but unharmed, she relaxed a little.

"What did you find?" She asked as they all started walking out of the Jumper bay. "Anything of use?"

Melony opened her mouth to reply, but McKay spoke up, first.

"The place is _perfect_, Elizabeth. It has enough untapped geothermal energy that we can rig it to light the entire complex, and enough room that half the people in Atlantis could easily stay there if they needed to."

Weir smiled, looking at Melony, who nodded.

"He's right," she said. "It's perfect."

"Good enough that you're not going to keep looking?"

"I don't think I could find anything better."

"It was still raining?" Kale asked.

"Yeah," Sheppard answered. "But the main cavern was dry."

"And warm," McKay said. "I couldn't see exactly where the water from the crack in the ceiling was drawing to – we had to leave before we got a good look at things – but where ever it goes, it's not puddling up on the floor."

"Why don't you all go get changed and dried off, and we'll have a debriefing?" Weir suggested. "I'd like to hear more about this place." But not while they were all wet. Besides, that would give her a chance to check on Carson Beckett and make sure he was really all right.

"Sounds good."

Sheppard and the others left, but Melony stayed behind with Weir and Kale.

"It's _really_ that perfect?" Elizabeth asked the Colonel.

Mitchell allowed herself a grin and nodded.

"Yeah. Not only that, but there's a perfect bolt hole that leads out into a forested area that would be easy to get lost in."

"And that's good?" Kale asked.

"It _is_ if someone's chasing you," Weir said. Melony nodded in agreement and explained what a bolthole was. When you could turn into a bird and fly away from danger – or into a wolf to _deal_ with the danger – a bolthole wasn't necessary, obviously.

"Even better," Melony said when she was finished explaining the concept, "If something happened _here_, and we needed to evacuate – all or partially – this place would be a good place to consider. The gate isn't that far from the lava tubes, and the tubes themselves are impervious to sensors – at least the ones on the Puddle Jumper."

"Really?"

"We couldn't find them with the ship. We had to land and go in through the front door. It's probably something in the makeup of the lava that forms the walls and covers the entire area, but we'll need to examine it further to see what it is, exactly."

"It sounds too good to be true," Weir said as she and Kale and Mitchell all started for the door.

Melony grinned.

"The part that is too good to be true is the fact that there are a ton of those coffee bushes in the area."

"If it's _really_ coffee…"

"My next stop is going to be Zalinka's," she said, smiling still. "I want to see if it is – and if it is, I want to get started on harvesting those bushes. My coffee supply is starting to dwindle."

_You have a full case of grounds, still_

That's not _that_ much.

Talon snorted, and Melony could feel his amusement.

Hey, I have to look towards the future, right? Do you have any idea how hard I'd be to deal with if I ran out of coffee?

_The very thought sends chills through me,_ he told her, sarcastically, causing her to smile again.

"Before you go check on your coffee beans, get changed," Weir said. "I don't want you leaving puddles in the halls."

Since Melony wasn't actually _that_ wet, she knew Weir was exaggerating, but it was a good idea, anyways. Even though she wouldn't catch a chill – not with Talon – it was still uncomfortable to be cold.

"I'll be in the briefing room in forty-five minutes," she said. That would give her time to stop and check on her beans, and time to check on Carson and make sure his ankle injury wasn't that serious and he was settled.

"We'll see you there."

Weir and Kale went off in one direction, and Melony watched them, wondering if there was something developing between them. She knew Elizabeth had a fiancé – they'd discussed him once, briefly – but she was sure walking close to the Light One.

_Jealous_? Talon asked her, slyly.

You know better.

She wasn't interested in Kale – not like that. He'd be easy to fall for, though, with that sensual body and good looks – if you liked aliens. And Melony had to admit, there wasn't anything wrong with aliens.

_If anything, it's the pheromones he's giving off_, Talon said off-hand.

What?

_The _pheromones_, Hot Shot. He and his people ooze them_

How do you know?

_Because I can feel them in your reaction to him – even though_ you _can't. If you were at all interested in him, then I'd actually have to step in and keep them under control, but since you're not…_ he allowed himself to trail off, knowing she understood what he meant. She wasn't stupid after all.

"Huh. I didn't even think about that," Melony admitted as she headed for the corridor that lead towards her quarters.

_I'll bet none of the others have, either_

Why didn't you say something?

_Why should I? They're all adults, and there aren't concerns of any little ones getting underfoot here. I figured they'd figure it out, eventually. Besides, nothing wrong with a little nooky. If it's done right_, he added, darkly.

Reminding Melony how devastating it could be if it wasn't, although he realized what he'd done immediately, and smothered her with his affection. She might have been annoyed at the way he was constantly interfering with her own feelings, but she understood what he was doing, and why, and besides, she loved the way it felt to be bathed in that kind of love. She wallowed in it.

Still feeling warm and gooey inside – and not at all chilled – Melony skipped heading for her quarters and went directly to Zalinka's. Coffee always came first, after all.


	50. 50

Almost as if they were expecting her, both scientists were in their little lab when Mitchell walked into the room five minutes later. Zalinka was standing by a lab table, and Markus – who was a Romanian woman, and apparently a genius when it came to molecular biology, was near what looked to be a small coffee pot.

"Colonel Mitchell, we heard you were back." Zalinka said, with a smile.

Well, that confirmed _that_, didn't it?

"Just got back," Melony told them. "And I thought I'd come by and see what you've found out about my little beans…"

"Funny you should ask," he told her, taking a small bag from the tabletop. "We just ground the lot of them, and as near as we can tell from the tests we've run on them, they're coffee beans. Or as close to it as we can find. Everything seems to match up, anyways, to what we have here." And he held up another baggie. "Which is from the commissary stores."

"So it's coffee?" She couldn't help the smug anticipation she felt just then, and Talon's amusement simply magnified it.

"_We_ think it is." Markus said, nodding.

"It has the same components of coffee, and looks like it, and _smells_ like it – but the only way to know for sure that it's not some deadly poison and really _is_ coffee is to try it out on a test subject."

"Preferably a test subject with a _symbiote_ to keep her from keeling over," they added, looking pointedly at her.

Since Melony had every intention of being the first one to try the coffee beans she'd found, she didn't even look at them funny for suggesting it. Who better to try it?

_Of course, even if it's_ bad _for you, you're still going to drink it when your coffee supply runs out, aren't you?_

Of course.

That was the whole benefit of _having_ a symbiote to keep her from keeling over, after all.

_What did you do before you met me?_

Dieted and watched my carbs.

"Let's brew it up," Melony said, gesturing to the little coffee pot.

Both scientists smiled, looking almost as excited as Melony felt, and Mitchell couldn't help but smile also as she reached for the empty coffee mug that was sitting on the table, waiting for her.

OOOOOOOOO

When she walked into the briefing room, Melony was holding a steaming cup of coffee – no big shock there, since she always seemed to have a cup of coffee somewhere close at hand, but the triumphant look on her face was new, and those gathered around the table had to smile.

"Let me guess…" Weir said. "You've been to see Zalinka."

Mitchell nodded and sat down beside Rodney, who was looking at the cup in her hand, speculatively.

"Just got back from there."

"Is that a cup from those beans you found?" McKay asked.

She nodded.

"How is it?"

"Unless I turn an odd color and start foaming at the mouth in the next few hours, all signs are looking good."

"How does it taste?" Sheppard asked.

"Like steaming heaven in a cup." She took another sip, and then set the mug down, looking at the small stack of papers on the table. "What's this?"

"Teyla and Ford have been trying to describe to Doctor Weir what the lava flow on A-08 looks like from the inside out," Sheppard said, pushing a couple of the papers to her. "This is what we have so far."

She looked at it, and saw that it looked like a maze – obviously they were doing a representation of the bolt hole, because the maze-like drawing ended up in an area with little trees and rocks. Besides, that was the only one of the tubes the two had been down.

"It's as accurate as anything else we have," Mitchell said, handing the papers back. "Next time I go, I'll take a video camera and some light, so we can get a better feel for it."

Weir nodded her agreement, and then settled in to a discussion of what had been found. Melony let the others talk, mostly. She was interested in hearing what they thought of the place, because she knew that McKay, especially, would end up spending a fair amount of time there while he helped her set up the equipment she was going to need. It wasn't so much that she _needed_ his help, but he was eager to be a part of things, and since it wasn't dangerous – aside from the chance of falling into a hole and messing up your ankle – she was willing to allow him to be there. It was only when things got tricky – when she went after the Wraith to get one of their ships – that she'd be doing things alone, or with a minimum of help.

As she watched them discuss the planet – and the coffee beans – she turned her attention to Kale, who was sitting next to Elizabeth, still. She owed him a great deal, because she knew she'd never have found the flow on her own. Well, the flow, yes, _maybe_. The lava tubes and the ravine…? Almost definitely not. His help had been crucial, and she was grateful. She'd have to figure out a way to repay him, even though he'd said he was doing her the favor to repay her and the Atlanteans for introducing relations with the farmers who lived near them.

Weir reached out and touched Kale's arm several times during the course of the discussions, Melony noticed, and she wondered if the woman was aware of what she was doing. Probably not, if Talon was right. And as he liked to remind her, he frequently was.

_Most of the time_

Yeah, yeah.

She took another sip of her coffee, savoring it even though it tasted just a little different from what she was used to. She'd grow used to it in time, and it wasn't _bad_ – just different. Then had another thought as she watched Kale and Weir.

Talon? These pheromones…? What else do they do? They're not dangerous, are they?

_Of course not. All creatures have them – just not in the quantities that the Light Ones do – and they probably have more than I've ever seen in any species. Maybe because they have different forms. They occur naturally, Hot Shot, usually during breeding and mating seasons or when-_

Would they affect a person's behavior?

_You're _looking_ at them affecting a person's behavior_, he told her. _Look at Weir. It's only temporary, though, and it's not like she's throwing him to the floor and fu-_

Is it _just_ mating? She asked, interrupting. If someone was near Kale and interested in someone else… would-

He was in her mind and knew where she was going before she even verbalized it. Melony could feel his silence as he pondered the question she was giving him, and then he gave the equivalent of a mental shrug.

_Maybe_

"Shit."

Everyone looked over at her, and Mitchell realized she'd spoken aloud. She frowned, and stood up.

"Sorry. I'll be back."

"Is it the coffee?" McKay asked.

She ignored the question and headed for the door, her mind a million miles from the Wraith just then.


	51. 51

She saw him immediately when he entered the infirmary. He'd been stripped out of the uniform he'd been wearing on the off-world expedition and dressed in scrubs and put to bed with his entire left leg from the knee down encased in an air cast and sticking out of the blankets that were covering him. One of Beckett's staff – a doctor whose name she couldn't remember – was standing next to the bed he was in.

_Jameson_

Thanks.

She looked down at Beckett, but addressed the other one.

"How's he doing?"

"The ankle's too swollen to get an accurate x-ray, but we think it's just a high sprain," he told her. "We'll keep icing it to get the swelling down, and then take pictures when we can."

Carson looked up at her, his eyes just glassy enough that she could tell he'd been given something for the pain, and he reached his hand out for hers.

"_Melony_!"

"He's medicated," the doctor told her, smiling.

She nodded and took Carson's hand.

"He looks like it."

"We tried just giving him a local, but he was pretty sore, so we decided what the hell, and doped him up. He'll be more lucid in a couple of hours."

"I'm Lucy, now," Beckett said, still grinning.

"You're looking pretty _Lucy_," Melony told him, giving him a slight smile, although she was disappointed. She _had_ hoped to have a conversation with him that didn't include him staring vacantly at her. She squeezed his hand lightly, and let it go, then turned her attention back to Jameson.

"I was wondering if you have the medical report from the tests that were done on Kale, Doctor Jameson?"

"The Light One?" He asked, frowning.

_Probably isn't sure if that's a breach of patient confidentiality_, Talon hazarded.

"Yeah. I was going to ask Doctor Beckett here a couple of questions, but I'm probably not going to be getting much out of him for a while, am I?"

Jameson smiled and shook his head.

"Not likely. At least, nothing that will make sense…" He shrugged, obviously debating asking whether she had a question _he_ could answer, and visibly deciding not to. "I'll get the results for you."

"Thanks."

He left her alone with Beckett, and Melony looked back down at him.

"How do you feel, Carson?"

"I hurt my ankle."

"I know."

"I fell down a hole."

"I know."

He reached for her hand again, and Melony took it.

"Will you stay with me?" He asked her.

"I can't," she told him.

"_Can't_? Or don't want to?"

Medicated or not, he remembered there were problems between them, but it wasn't fair to him to try and discuss it when he wasn't in his right mind, and she wasn't even going to try.

"Right now, I can't," she said. "I'm supposed to be in a briefing."

"But you're not." He accused.

"Because I wanted to come check on you."

"I hurt my ankle."

Which was _exactly_ why she wasn't going to try and have a real conversation with him. Medicated people were nuts, that was all there was to it.

"I know."

"I fell in-"

"A hole." She finished, sighing. "I know."

"Talon doesn't like me, does he?"

She sighed again, and shook her head.

"No. Not right now, he doesn't."

_Not ever_

"_You_ don't, either."

Melony didn't feel like trying to have a three-way conversation just then. Not when one participant was medicated and the other was feeling so vindictive she was starting to get enough of an echo of it that she was beginning to feel a little grumpy, herself.

"I'm not going to discuss this with you right now, Carson. I-"

"We _need_ to talk about it."

"Not right now."

"But-"

"No."

She let go of his hand, and sighed, looking down at him and feeling about ready to cry.

_I'm sorry_

It's not your fault.

She brushed her fingers along Beckett's bearded cheek, and he closed his eyes, hopefully deciding that if she was willing to touch him, then she couldn't hate him completely, or maybe the medication was just kicking in and he was getting drowsy.

"Here you go, Colonel."

Jameson's voice behind her drew her out of her thoughts, and she turned and took the folder he was offering her.

"Thanks."

She flipped it open, and looked through the medical information. She wasn't a doctor and had never pretended to have much interest in such things, but she was able to read the chart well enough – it was written in English, after all. She basically just scanned for the word _pheromone_, and when she found it, she read that the medics had found what Talon had already said was there. High levels of pheromones – higher than humans, anyway.

She looked up at Jameson, who had been watching her.

"When he's a bit more lucid, would you tell him I'd like him to look at this file, please?"

Jameson nodded, taking it from her.

"I'll let him know."

"I appreciate it." She looked down at Beckett, who still had his eyes closed – he looked asleep to her, but she wasn't sure. "I'll be back to check on him later."

"You want me to tell him?"

She shook her head.

"No. Thank you for your help."

"Anytime."

She turned and left the infirmary, and headed for the briefing room once more.


	52. 52

"Is everything all right, Colonel?"

Mitchell nodded as she walked into the briefing room once more and resumed her seat next to McKay.

"Yes, sorry about that. I forgot something that needed taking care of."

She saw that Rodney had the papers in front of him, now, and from the pen in his hand and the half-completed sketch, she could see that he was trying to explain to the others the thermal room they'd found.

_Thermal room. Good name_

It's certainly too hot to be the bedroom.

She was still a little edgy after her visit with Carson, but the walk back had done her some good, and she'd managed to get herself back under control by the time she'd returned to finish the briefing. Talon, of course, was helping. Not only because he considered it his responsibility to keep her sound of mind and body, but because he knew his own antagonism towards Beckett hadn't helped things. As much as he was unhappy with the doctor, he knew better than to allow his own feelings to rub off on Melony like that – and he'd still managed to do it. So it was his job to fix things. And he did.

But he wasn't finished discussing it with her, and Melony knew it. She could feel him waiting for the right moment. But it wasn't while they were in the middle of a briefing.

McKay outlined what he presumed to be the best way to rig up lines to tap the geothermal energies of the room, and Mitchell listened closely, because he was a genius, after all, and this kind of thing was right up his alley. She could do it – with Talon helping her, Melony was a genius, too – and even before her blending with him, she'd been smart – but why muddle through something that would take her weeks, when Rodney was certain he could have it done in a matter of days?

"I'd still like to see where that tube that Major Sheppard and Doctor Beckett were exploring leads," Melony said, when Rodney was finished.

"It leads to a big crack in the floor." Sheppard told her, his eyes filled with amusement.

He'd checked with the doctors before coming to the briefing and knew as well as Melony did that Beckett was going to be fine. Which meant that there was nothing wrong with a little good-natured teasing about the whole thing.

"Yeah. But beyond that there's probably something else."

"A bigger crack?" Ford asked, catching the theme of the joke easily and more than willing to join in.

"Another bolt hole, maybe?" Weir asked.

Melony shrugged.

"It might lead deeper into the flow, for all I know. I was turned around pretty quickly in our tunnel. But it definitely should be searched."

"You can do that while the teams are rigging up the power source," McKay suggested.

Which was a good idea.

"How long do you think it will be before you're ready to start that project, Rodney?" Elizabeth asked.

"A few days to gather the manpower and necessary supplies."

She turned to Mitchell.

"Can you wait that long?"

"Sure."

"Then we'll stop here for the day," Weir decided, taking all the sketches and notes and stacking them so she and Mitchell could study them later. "Thank you for the briefing everyone."

Since it was as much of a dismissal as any of them needed, the others started standing up and leaving. Melony reached for her abandoned coffee cup and drained it – it was cold, but this stuff actually tasted almost better cold – although she preferred all coffee hot. She looked over at Kale, who was still seated – as was Weir.

"I don't know how to repay you, Kale."

The Light One waved away any need for that.

"I'm happy to help, Melony. I've enjoyed this time completely – both _your_ company and the chance to get to know the people who you serve with." His smile was for Weir only, then.

_See? They just went off the charts,_ Talon told her.

She _didn't_ see, but she knew he could – and there was no denying the sudden flush on Elizabeth Weir's cheeks.

_If you had any feelings for him – physically – then you'd be more susceptible to his… charms_

Melony didn't reply, but she could tell that Weir obviously did – and was. She stood up.

"I'm going to head back to Zalinka and get another cup of this coffee."

"No adverse affects so far?" Weir asked.

Talon?

_Nah_

She shook her head.

"I'm pretty sure there won't be, but I think I'll spend the rest of the day doing nothing, just in case."

"I'm going to return home soon, Melony," Kale told her. "Perhaps tomorrow…"

Melony nodded; she'd expected he'd want to as soon as he wasn't needed.

"Don't go anywhere just yet, okay? I want to talk to you, and I have one more… assignment… for us, before you go."

"Today?"

"No. How about tomorrow morning?"

"Are you going off-world?" Weir asked, curiously.

Melony shook her head, smiling even though Talon was already seeing what she had in mind and was reminding her that he wasn't God, and could only fix so many injuries at one time.

"Nope. I just have a hankering to try something – and I need Kale's help."

"Tomorrow."

"Yes."

"I'm at your disposal, Melony," The Light One told her. "You know that."

"Then I'll see you in the morning, if not sooner," she told him, giving him a smile and ignoring Talon's muttering about crazy hosts with death wishes.

Hush, it'll be great.

He snorted, but didn't say anything else.

Melony nodded goodbye to the two, and left the briefing room, and Kale turned his attention completely on Weir.

"So…" he asked, smiling as he reached for her hand, lightly. "Do you have time for another walk?"

Amazed at her audacity, but unable to smile even though she was blushing furiously as well, Elizabeth squeezed his hand lightly.

"Or something…"


	53. 53

She stopped off at the lab to talk to the scientists about her coffee beans – and to let them know that so far she wasn't having any side affects – and poured herself another cup to take with her. She needed a quiet place to sit and think, and she always did her best thinking with a cup of coffee in her hand.

Figuring that if she went to her quarters someone would eventually come and interrupt her, Mitchell went to the little broom closet that she'd claimed as her own – mainly because no one else actually had any desire to have it. She closed the door behind her, and sat on a cushion on the floor, her back against the cool wall.

_Sitting in the dark isn't going to do anything for your depression_

I know.

She didn't need to tell him what was bothering her. They were so close there was no keeping it from him – no more than he could keep something from her. They needed to come to an understanding about Carson, because Melony couldn't be pulled between her feelings for the doctor, and her feeling for her symbiote.

_I can't forgive him_

Talon had never lied to Melony, and couldn't. She could feel the animosity the symbiote held towards the doctor – even though they both knew, now, that it wasn't completely Beckett's fault that he'd gone over the edge. It wasn't what he'd done. It was who he'd done it to. The love that kept her sane and stabilized was the same love that wouldn't allow forgiveness.

I love him.

_I know_

She loved him enough to forgive the hurt. Loved him enough that she'd allow the excuse that he _hadn't_ been completely at fault in what had happened – and was even willing to accept that she, too, had had a part in what had happened. If she'd realized that she was making him jealous by locking him out of the planning between her and Kale, things might have been different, and might have been averted.

_If I'd have warned you about the pheromones…_

No. This isn't _your_ fault, Talon. Melony took a sip of her coffee. You knew they didn't pose a problem to me, or you would have warned me. I know that.

She did know it. Talon wasn't all knowing, and they both knew it, and Melony would never hold that against him. She'd never blame him for over looking something that he really didn't have a reason for looking at in the first place. _Melony_ knew it. And through their bond, Talon knew that she meant it.

The two of them were quiet for a long time, while Melony's mind wandered freely and Talon followed along. She'd been with Carson. She knew that given time, she'd be able to relax completely with him once more – if Talon's own animosity didn't stand in the way.

_He's a worm_

This coming from a _snake_?

She smiled, because she'd been joking with him, and she could feel Talon's amusement as well.

He's not that bad, Talon. He made a mistake.

_He hurt you_

It's not all his fault. And you know it.

There was silence. Brooding silence. Yeah, he knew it.

_He hurt_ you, Talon repeated, stubbornly.

I love him.

_Damn it, Hot Shot. Why don't you fall for someone else?_

Who? McKay?

_No_

Zalinka?

_No_

Ford?

Talon actually chuckled at that, because he knew Melony really was fond of Ford – but looked upon him as a younger brother.

_What do you want me to do, Melony?_

What _will_ you do?

_Whatever you want_

Because he loved her. Melony knew that was the only reason he hated Carson – and was the only reason he was even considering trying to find a way to reconcile with the doctor. Talon was in as much of a quandary as his host was, and they both knew it.

I love you, Talon.

She felt his pleasure at that simple statement, and they both shared a warm gooey moment.

_I love you, too, Hot Shot_

He sighed, and then she felt him grumble – to himself – which made her smile, because she loved hearing him mutter in her head.

_Go talk to him, Melony. If he's what will make you happy_… she felt his mental shrug. _I want you happy…_

There was no doubt that she _had_ been happy with Beckett, and Talon supposed that there was always a chance she could be again.

Melony looked at her watch – which had glow in the dark hands so she could see what time it was – and wondered if Carson was even awake, yet.

_One way to find out_

Yeah.

She stood up and opened the door.

OOOOOOOOO

When Carson woke up, he was feeling just a little out of sorts. His ankle was throbbing. Not terribly bad, just enough to hurt. And that was annoying. Add to it the fact that his head was pounding, too, and there was a humming coming from a machine close by that seemed to be way too loud, and it was all enough to make him a little out of sorts.

He waved his hand to get the attention of one of his medics, and when the woman came over, he asked for his chart. When she brought it to him, he looked through it, found that his ankle was too swollen to really be sure if it was broken or not – and that it was firmly braced in an air cast. He'd been given painkillers – which explained the headache – and had fallen asleep for a few hours.

He asked for a couple of aspirin, and washed them down with a healthy swig of water, and then ordered himself moved to his quarters, where he would be able to sleep in peace. Since they were just across the hall, it wasn't like they'd lose track of him, but he wasn't in danger, and he didn't need to be where he was – at least not until the swelling went down so they could take x-rays.

They moved him over to his rooms and settled him on the sofa, with his entire leg propped up on a coffee table. They covered him warmly, gave him a radio in case he needed to be in touch with them, and then piled pillows around him to make him as comfortable as he could be.

"Doctor?" One of the medics brought him a file folder as he was wriggling to get a little more comfortable. "Doctor Jameson asked me to give this to you if you woke up before he came back from his lunch. Colonel Mitchell wanted you to read it."

"What?" Beckett frowned and took the file, curiously. "Did she say why?"

The medic shrugged.

"I didn't talk to her."

Carson nodded, and opened the file.

"Thank you."

She nodded, and left, and Carson looked at the file, wondering why in the world Melony would want him to read the file he was holding. He saw a slight mark against one section, and it drew his attention. He read that section once. Then again, and a third time, just to make sure that he was actually reading what he thought he was reading. Then he set the file aside, and leaned back against the pillows and closed his eyes. It was an explanation, but it wasn't an excuse, and he knew it.

She'd never forgive him. Love wasn't enough all the time. He knew that, now.


	54. 54

When she walked into the infirmary, Melony frowned. The bed that she'd left Carson sleeping in was empty – and freshly made – meaning he wasn't going back to it. She looked around, checking out the other beds, in case he'd been moved to one that was more comfortable or something, but she didn't see him.

"Colonel Mitchell? Can I help you?"

A voice behind her caused her to turn, and she saw one of the medics standing there, a clipboard in her hand.

"I was looking for Doctor Beckett…"

"He's been moved to his quarters," she said, smiling. "It's more comfortable, and not all that far away."

"Thanks. Is he awake?"

She shrugged.

"He _was_."

One way to find out.

"Thanks again."

She left the infirmary, crossed the corridor to stop at the door across from it, and knocked softly on the door. No one answered, and there wasn't any sound from the other side, and she debated leaving and coming back later.

_Just go in_

I don't know if-

_He's not going to care, Melony_

Talon knew that better than she did, and his confidence was enough to get her to open the door and slip inside.

She was surprised to find him on the sofa. His quarters were one of the few that actually had one, and he used it all the time, but she'd expected to find him in the bed where he'd be able to stretch his leg out a bit more than the coffee table allowed. She noticed that the file on Kale was sitting on the table beside his propped up leg, and that it was open.

She went over and leaned over the back of the sofa, not wanting to hover over him if he wasn't really all that asleep – she didn't want to startle him – but wanting to get a look at him to make sure he didn't look like he was in all that much pain or anything, either.

"Carson?"

He opened his eyes at the sound of the last voice he'd really expected to hear, and found himself looking up into her pale eyes. Eyes that were beautiful and wonderful and attached to the face of a woman he loved more than he could ever have imagined loving someone. And had ruined that completely.

"Melony…"

He wondered what she was doing there.

She smiled, and he felt his heart skip a beat, even though the smile looked a little forced. Or afraid?

"How do you feel?" She asked him, reaching down and touching his cheek.

"I'm okay. Just a little sore. You?"

"I'm fine."

He reached up and took her hand with his, squeezing it lightly – and almost afraid she would pull away. She didn't, though, and the two of them stayed like that for a long moment, looking at each other, both of them trying to figure out what to say to the other.

"I read the report," he finally said.

She nodded.

"How did you know?"

"Talon figured it out."

"It's not an excuse for what I did to you…"

"It added to other things," she said, "But no, it's not an excuse…"

"I'm sorry…"

"I know, Carson."

"But it isn't enough, is it?" He asked her, bitterly, angry with himself for ruining his chance with her.

She shrugged.

"If you didn't love me, it'd _never_ be enough."

"I _do_ love you…"

"I know."

"I don't think you do, Melony…" he said, shaking his head. "I've loved you since I first saw you – since you came through the gate and ended up in my infirmary. The first time you opened your eyes and looked at me… I just… felt like I needed to be with you. To hold you. To protect you. To take care of you."

He squeezed her hand.

"And now… it's ruined, isn't it? _Talon_ hates me, _you_ can't possibly forgive me, and I-"

"I love you."

The three words cut off his tirade of self-loathing, and his eyebrows rose, his eyes surprised.

"You…"

"Love you. Okay? I should have told you earlier – it might have kept things from getting so out of cont-"

"No. It wasn't _your_ fault," he said, shaking his head. "And it wasn't Kale's fault, either. I was in the wrong. I was jealous, and I felt left out, and I hurt you. The pheromones can't _force_ people to do something that they don't want to do deep down, anyways, and I wanted to be with you. To make love to you – even though I promised you that I'd wait until you were ready. I didn't want to _hurt_ you, though. I just wanted…"

"To be with me."

He nodded.

"To be with you. To be yours. To have you as mine."

And _that_ was the need that was amplified by the pheromones and the alcohol. The desire to posses her. To have her for his own. He'd thought this through thoroughly, and had still been considering it when he'd fallen asleep.

She freed her hand from his, and ran her fingers along his cheek, her eyes unreadable.

"If I would have said something earlier, you wouldn't have been so uncertain," she told him. "You would have known that I cared for you. Wanted you. Wanted to be with you. But I was afraid to."

"And now…?" he asked.

"Now?"

"Do you still feel that way? Or did I ruin it?"

She shook her hand, feeling Talon detach himself as much as he could so she wouldn't feel an echo of his own thoughts – although the way Beckett had apologized and not tried to shift the blame had played well to the way the symbiote was regarding him just then.

"You can't stop loving someone…" Melony told Carson. It was what she'd been telling herself over and over, after all.

She saw the hope rise in his eyes, and smiled, gently. This time it wasn't so forced, and when she came around to the other side of the sofa to crouch down beside the couch so she could be on the same eye level as he was.

"I _do_ love you, Carson."

"Enough to forgive me?"

She nodded.

"Yes."

"Can I hold you?"

He had to hold her. Wanted desperately to pull her into his arms and hug her tightly. And didn't dare try to without permission.

She nodded, leaning into his chest and feeling his arms wrap around her, pulling her even closer, and felt him press a kiss against her cheek, his short beard tickling the tender skin of her face. She slid an arm around his waist, not wanting to put her full weight against him in such an awkward position, and brushed a kiss against his cheek as well.

"I love you, Melony." He told her, raggedly.

"I love you, too."

She'd proven him wrong, Carson Beckett realized as he shifted on the sofa, making room for her to sit next to him, and feeling a warm relief spread through him as she took the invitation and cuddled beside him.

Love _was_ enough.


	55. Epilogue

_**Epilogue**_

_You remember when we were walking through that lava tube without lights and absolutely no idea what was down there?_

Yeah.

_And there might have been a sharp drop that left us completely at the mercies of gravity and whatever creatures might have been down there?_

Yeah.

_And I told you that it wasn't the most intelligent thing we've ever done…?_

Yeah.

_Well… I've changed my mind. This is by far the craziest thing we've ever done_

Melony smiled, although she had to agree with him. She was standing alone on the highest balcony they'd yet to find access to on Atlantis. Wearing her harness and a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and nothing else, the light wind that was blowing off the water far below them and around them was a little chilly, but nothing she couldn't handle.

_Turn on the device, Hot Shot_

I wasn't going to forget.

She pulled the Ancient's shielding device out of the pocket of her shorts and pressed it against her collarbone, checking to make sure the light on it turned green to indicate it was working. Then she raised her right hand and waved that she was ready.

Far out over the water a small shape came out of the newly risen sun, and grew steadily larger as the giant bird that was Kale came soaring closer to the balcony she was standing on. She double-checked the straps to make sure they were tight and checked the handles he was going to grab with his talons, and then braced herself.

A moment later she was snatched off the balcony and was being carried out over the water.

_This is nuts_

It's awesome!

_You're going to splatter us all over the city_

Just me – _you're_ small enough they probably wouldn't be able to find anything left of you.

_Oh, that's_ much _better_

She smiled at the sarcasm, and spread her arms wide, enjoying the flight as Kale carried her out and away from the city a short distance before turning in a wide circle and bringing her back. Far below them she could see a small group of people watching – at least she assumed they were watching – and knew that most of them were just as certain as Talon was that they were going to end up splattered. She had more faith than that – and there were some things that you just had to do when the opportunity arose.

"Now, Kale!" She yelled.

She felt the powerful talons that had been holding her release the harness and then she was falling. Melony flipped herself over so she was spread-eagled in a classic skydiving pose – although it wasn't exactly the same.

_Yeah, we don't have a_ parachute

We'll be fine.

She looked down, and saw that the water was getting close really quickly, and shifted positions once more, now going headfirst.

_You realize I can't heal your brains if they're not_ inside _you, right?_

Hush.

Her hands came up – or _down_, whichever way you looked at it – and she watched the water rushing at her, trying to figure out when to take that deep breath she would need.

Last _breath, you mean_

She grinned, because she could feel his excitement, too, and knew he was enjoying the fall as much as she was.

Brace yourself.

_I hope the device doesn't fall off_

Me, too.

With a terrific impact, she slammed into the water, her hands breaking the surface enough to allow the rest of her to hit cleanly and her body rigid enough to slide right in instead of doing a belly flop or something. The Ancient's device did exactly what it was supposed to do; cushioning the blow that should have killed her no matter how cleanly she landed, and Melony was completely unharmed when she hit the water. They sank quite a ways before the momentum of the fall was broken and the water slowed her descent, and then she paddled her way back to the surface, grinning crazily the minute her head broke free and she could see those who'd been watching.

There were assorted looks of relief, and she could feel the same relief coming from her symbiote.

I told you it wouldn't kill us.

_I wasn't worried_

She snorted, and started swimming for the edge of the water – a place that the city met the ocean, and where everyone had been standing.

"That was crazy!" Ford told her, stepping forward as soon as she got close enough and reaching his hand down to help her out of the water. He was grinning ear to ear, though, and Mitchell knew he had half a mind to ask if he could go next.

"It was fun, though," she said, grinning, reaching for his hand and using his help to drag herself onto the dry surface the city was resting on.

"What did you prove?" Weir asked, curiously, relief and amusement warring in her expression.

"That the Ancient's device will cushion a fall of several hundred feet…"

"We were pretty sure it could already do that," McKay said, tossing her a towel.

"Yup, but now we _know_ it will."

"And besides, you wanted to freefall…" Sheppard added.

She nodded, still grinning.

"Yeah. It was great."

She didn't even feel guilty for doing it. Of course, Kale was the only one that had actually had to do any work, and he'd been willing to do it once she'd reminded him that she'd be using the shielding device and wouldn't be hurt.

He was going to leave Atlantis that morning, and she'd known she was only going to get once chance to try it… so what the hell? The worst that could happen was that she'd miss the water.

_The worst that could have happened was that the device failed at the last minute_

That too.

"Are you going to go again?" Ford asked.

She shook her head, almost sorrowfully. Another go would be great.

"Kale's got to get going, and I want to get dried off and changed, so I can see him off."

Do'h.

She got to her feet, and pulled off the harness, which she handed to Ford. He'd take it and hang it up to dry – in case they ever needed to use it again. And who knew? They might some day. He and the others started heading back into the city so they could meet up with Kale, who had landed on the upper balcony and would make his way back to them, and Melony started dry herself off.

"Please tell me you're not going to be doing too much more of that?"

She looked over at Carson, who was leaning on a pair of crutches, and shook her head.

"I can't dive off the balconies and be certain I'd land in the water… so without someone flying me, I'll never get to do it again."

Which was why she _had_ to do it at least once.

He nodded, and she walked over to him, wrapping the towel around her waist.

"You weren't really worried, were you?" She asked. "You know that between Talon and the Ancient device there's very little that could have happened."

"Were you worried?" He asked her.

"Nope."

"Was _Talon_?"

Bah.

"A _little_."

He gave her a slightly triumphant smile and the two of them started walking towards the door that led into the city, moving slowly because he wasn't all that steady on his crutches just yet. The swelling was still too dense to allow an accurate x-ray of his ankle, but the air cast was holding everything in place so he could move around.

"Rodney tells me he should be ready to start rigging power in your caverns within a week," Carson said, making it more of a question than a statement.

She nodded.

"Which will give you time to get a little better, so you can come with us, if you want to."

He smiled at that, as she'd hoped he would.

There was no real reason for him to come, but she'd suggested to Weir that it might not be a bad idea to have at least one medic along while they were doing the rigging – in case they had another accident. Weir had agreed, and told her to take whoever she thought she might need, so Mitchell had told Rodney to conscript whatever people and supplies that Atlantis didn't need and have them prepare to spend a few days at least in the lava flow – which meant finding people who weren't claustrophobic.

"I'd like that."

She nodded, and the two of them walked to her quarters so she could get dried off – and maybe have a cup of coffee.

OOOOOOOOO

"Are you sure you have to go?"

Kale nodded, looking down at Weir with genuine affection in his expression.

"I'm not needed here, and I miss the others." He certainly wasn't going to go back to the lava tubes if he wasn't absolutely needed. And he wasn't. He reached out and touched her cheek, his fingers as gentle as the smile on his face. "You can always come visit me, you know?"

She nodded, and smiled.

"We'll have to do that."

Of course, they'd want to come visit anyways. There was the small matter of those pregnant Light Ones, after all.

He took her hand.

"I had a wonderful time – here, and with you, Elizabeth. Thank you."

She squeezed his hand.

"You're welcomed back anytime."

The two of them left her little office and went out into the command center, where Sheppard and McKay were waiting with Teyla and Ford and several others. Almost the same time they entered from one direction, Mitchell and Beckett entered from another, Carson on crutches and Melony with still damp hair and a cup of coffee in her hand. They all converged at the bottom of the staircase, and Kale looked down at Melony.

"If you ever need me to fly you around again, call and I'll be here as soon as possible."

"I'll remember that, Kale. Thank you. If you ever need us, call and we'll answer."

The gate flared to life as the Light One gave the Colonel a hug, and then stepped back. He looked at the others, nodding a goodbye to them one by one, and then at Weir once more.

Before he could help himself, or she could step back, Kale had her in his arms, and had bent his head to kiss her once more. Elizabeth tensed in surprise for just a moment, and then melted into the kiss, sighing softly as he gave her a last goodbye. He smiled as he pulled away, and then headed through the gate, already reaching for the clothing he was wearing so he could undress when he came out the other side.

The others stared at her, and it took Weir a moment to be able to do anything more than watch as the Stargate disengaged. _Then_ she realized they were all watching her, and she cleared her throat, to give herself a moment to try and think of something to say.

"Well… we should all… get back to work… I suppose…" was all she managed.

Melony smiled, and turned; ready to walk with Carson back to his quarters. He's been on his feet long enough, and needed a break. Ford and Teyla turned as well; Ford grinning so broadly that Teyla was certain his face was going to split in two. Sheppard and McKay, however, stayed right where they were, both looking at her, a mixture of expressions on their faces.

"You _know_…" John said as soon as everyone else besides him, Rodney and Elizabeth were gone. "_I_ seem to recall someone lecturing me about how _unprofessional_ it is to become involved with members of a species we know so little about…"

"Actually," McKay said, "I _believe_ what she said was that we weren't in this little area of the galaxy for our own little _sexual_ amusements – or something like that…"

"Something about keeping ourselves aloof from those around us…"

"And not becoming emotionally attached…"

"Or _attracted_…"

"No matter _how_ much we-"

Her cheeks reddening, but more from amusement and the reaction to Kale's last kiss than anything else; Elizabeth Weir headed back up the staircase, the two men right behind her.

"Something about… keeping our pants on…"

"Yes, I seem to recall that, as well," Rodney agreed.

They were still following her as she headed for her office…

**The End**

_So! Obviously there's more to this story as well, because the Wraith aren't defeated yet – but we'll get there, eventually! Let me know what you think, what you thought, and if there's anything you would like to see. (No Weir babies, sorry)_


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